Neon Genesis Evangelion: Advent of the Demons
by The Shadow Walker
Summary: ...Revised. Recommend rereading for minor changes... After the End, everything was reborn but only to face the true threat to Humanity. Now, the Eva pilot face the onslaught of beings they know as Demons, who want to deal Humanity a fate worse than death.
1. Chapter 01: Pencils on your Desk!

Disclaimer: I have no official ownership of NGE.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Advent of the Demons

Recorded by The Shadow Walker

Chapter 01: "Pencils on your desk! Testing is over!"

January 02, 2016 (Day 0)

Somewhere on the coast of Japan

Shinji didn't know what to do. Everything that he had known, everything that he had; every he had believed in or cared for was gone. Everything except this girl, this girl that had just called him pathetic. This girl that, for some irrational reason, he cared for. This girl that he had, only a moment ago, attempted to kill; to send along with every other human soul from the planet.

Shinji started to wept. He just wanted to do nothing; to cease existing. After all, he had failed. He had failed everyone. Everything around him was a reminder of that: The sea of LCL, the air that was heavily scented with blood, the crimson-stained beach they were on, the broken buildings around them. He was a failure. The only thing he could hope for was for this reality to roll back and reveal something other than the red waves that spanned the horizon, and the remains of Lilith. He had failed in his mission. All that he could really do now was to lay there and wait to join everyone.

"Are you going to lay on me all day or what?" Asuka Langley Soryu, the tattered pilot of Evangelion Unit-02, demanded. Now fully conscious, she was severely pissed and even if she was in no condition to do anything, Shinji felt the involuntary urge to comply. It was something that had become ingrained in his been. 'Serve and be accepted. Do as you are told and you will be rewarded.'

Shinji hauled himself off of Asuka, only to collapse next to her in a heap as the events that had just transpired continued revolving through his head. He shivered uncontrollably as tears sprang from his eyes.

"What's your problem?" Asuka snarled, "Are you so path−" She stopped abruptly as Shinji bolted upright, snarling menacingly and seemingly ready to rip her head off.

"**_You have no idea what I've been through_**!" he screamed, "**_You have no clue_**!"

Asuka was taken aback. Shinji had displayed some backbone on occasion, but never like this. He had certainly never snapped at anyone like that, let alone her.

He was trembling again, whether from rage, fear, or exhaustion she couldn't tell. And to make matters worse, he was crying again, "Don't you get it? I failed, I failed…"

"Oh come on!" Asuka said loudly, though a quiver could be heard in her voice, "What's so bad…"

"Everybody's dead!" Shinji yelled, "Don't you get it? We're the only people left alive!"

Asuka stared at him with her good eye. Everybody? Was that possible?

"But…but we stopped the Third Impact! We stopped all of the Angels!" she argued as she turned her head to gaze the landscape around them.

"It doesn't matter," he wailed, "It doesn't matter anymore, because everybody's dead! Everything we did was meaningless!"

Asuka managed to force herself up and stared out across the rolling crimson at the floating head of Lilith. Everyone was dead? Misato? Hikari? The two stooges? As she glanced over at Shinji, who was still trembling where he stood as he couldn't seem to decide whether to scream in rage or cry in despair, it all hit her.

"_Es dammen_!" she cursed. Everything they had gone through, all of their time and effort, all of the pain and suffering, _her_ pain and suffering, had all been for nothing!

Shinji seemed to share her sentiment as he turned and shouted out at the red sea, "So what was it all for? Huh? Well? Why did you put us through all of that, just to have us kill ourselves!"

Asuka joined him, unable to contain her building rage, "Why did we have to suffer for so long if you were just going to kills us off in the end? Well, why!"

Suddenly, the oceans boomed with an answer, "Your questions are just and they shall be answered." The LCL a few meters from shore shimmered with a heavenly light as something immense was thrust out.

"What in the name of…" Asuka never got the chance to finish as the light fully emerged for the LCL generating a thunderous blast that knocked Shinji down. What they beheld was straight of their nightmares.

"It's not…it's not possible…" Shinji mumbled.

The Giant of Light seemed to smile as its radiance became more collected. Its features morphed to resemble a tall man with a long, beaming face and long hair that was clasped at the base of its neck and three pair of luminous wings, "Greetings to you, children of the Lilin."

"You…" Asuka stammered, "You're a…an Angel…aren't you?"

"Correct, Second Child. I am known as Adam." Shinji and Asuka glanced at each other, their rage momentarily forgotten as they tried to grasp their current situation.

"Adam…" Shinji started.

"The first Angel?" Asuka inquired.

"Yes," the being nodded, "I am the first, father to all the Angels that you have battled."

"But…but…" Shinji stammered, but Asuka interrupted.

"**_What in blazes is going on_**!" her fury returned anew.

"I understand that you are confused as to why these events have transpired…"

"Oh shut up and tell us why you killed off half the population and then tried to kill the second half…" Asuka's angry voice trailed off as she stared as her surroundings.

"In order to understand that, you must grasp the situation…"

"Shut up!" Shinji interrupted, "Just shut up and tell us why!" Asuka blinked in astonishment at his outburst.

Adam seemed to sigh in resignation, "I see. Very well. To put it in the simplest of terms: Humanity, the Children of Lilin, and you specifically, the pilots of the Evangelion, were being tested."

"A test," Asuka and Shinji responded dully.

"Yes," Adam said.

"So…the death of everyone on the planet minus two was all for a test?" Shinji asked in a seemingly casual tone.

"And all of the pain, suffering and trauma that we endured over the course of our stint as Eva pilots, was all because of this test?" Asuka added quickly.

"Yes," Adam said simply.

"**_What in the blazes for_**!" they screamed in unison, no longer caring that they were dealing with the entity that had whipped out around 3 billion people.

Adam blinked at their vehemence, "Why, to see of you could survive and win."

Asuka seemed ready to leap up and rip Adam's arms off and beat him to death with them, when Shinji spoke coldly, "That's it? That's the entire reason? To see if we could? What kind of…"

"You misunderstand," another voice echoed from across the crimson. In the distance, a pillar of light shot out of the LCL, revealing a being that Shinji recognized.

"Lilith," he murmured.

"But," Asuka protested, "but that can't be her! She's all over the place; in pieces!"

"My old body, yes," Lilith smiled warmly, "I shed it, for now I no longer need it. What's done is done. You have become humanity, and humanity you shall remain."

"But…what do you mean?" Shinji asked cautiously.

Adam smiled slightly, "We mean that you that were once Lilin are now humanity. You have separated yourselves into individuals. We had to ensure that you were still strong enough to protect yourselves."

"We also wanted you to have the chance to regain what you once were," Lilith smiled, somewhat sadly, "We are sorry if you have suffered unduly."

"Sorry? _Sorry_?" Asuka growled, "You're…sorry…if we suffered_ unduly_?"

Lilith started to speak, but Asuka cut her off, "Do you have any _idea_ what I, we have gone through during your little _test_?"

"It was necessary," Adam assured her.

"Why? Why was it necessary?" Asuka demanded harshly.

"We needed to know that you could save yourselves from them."

Asuka felt her heart stop momentarily at those words. Shinji looked like he was about to faint.

"Them?" Shinji managed to choke out after a few seconds.

Adam seemed to sigh, "If you call us Angels…than they could only be called Demons."

"Demons?" Asuka gaped, "You mean that…wait. _Call_ you Angels?"

"We are not exactly the Angels of God that you may think we are. We are creations of God, same as you. We are not so divine in nature as His true Angels," Lilith explained.

"But what are…never mind," Shinji sighed, "Why are they coming here?"

"They are coming to see if you are ready for enslavement. They last time they were here, you were far too primitive to be of any use to them other than labor, and they have slaves that are much stronger than you," Adam told them.

"But if you're so concerned," Asuka snorted, "Why can't you…"

"It would be disastrous," Lilith explained, "If we or our influence were to be discovered, than they would slaughter this world. We had to wait until they left the first time in order to begun the staging of the test, so Adam would not be detected. And we had to exert some influence in you society in order to assure that you would be ready in time."

"But what if…"Shinji said haltingly, "If we…if Third Impact had occurred?"

"Than you and Asuka would be the new Adam and Eve," Adam stated simply.

"WHAT!" the two pilots cried.

"However, you were strong enough, just as we hoped," Lilith said proudly, "I was concerned at times…"

"My dear, our time is short," Adam said gently, "We need to speak of other things."

"Yes, of course," Lilith nodded, "If you'll follow us." They began to fly down the coast.

"Hey!" Asuka called, "I'm still too injured to move!"

Shinji glanced at her hesitantly, "I, um…I could carry you…"

Asuka stared at him, "You aren't in any condition to carry me you idiot. We'd both end up on the ground."

Shinji was about respond when Lilith came back, "Oh, I apologize. I tend to forget the humans can't regenerate as fast as us." With a wave of her hand, a tidewave of LCL crashed down on them.

As the liquid receded, Asuka snapped at the angel, "What as that for?"

"You are healed," Lilith said, "Come quickly."

"Oh…" Asuka glanced at herself, than stood slowly, "Well come on Third…" She glanced at Shinji, who was standing stoically as he held all of the clothes that were formerly on his body, staring at them in a betrayed matter.

"Where did you get a plug suit?" Asuka blinked at his new attire.

"That…wave…" he managed.

"Ah. Anyways, come on!" She grabbed his arm and started off after the angels.

They walked for about ten minutes when the angels stopped.

Adam turned to them, "You must understand, that from now on it is your responsibility to defend this planet. No matter what happens, in battle or out, you four are the sole defenders until you can add more."

"Huh?" Shinji and Asuka stared at Adam, "Four?"

"Quickly," Lilith pointed to the shore. Laying there like a limp doll was body.

"Rei!" Shinji shouted as he ran over to her.

"But…but…" Asuka blinked as she went from Rei to Lilith and back.

"Rei was a creation of the combining of DNA from myself and Yui Ikari in Eva-01. In a way, she is a daughter of Yui, but my essence also existed in her. She was a missing part of me that has been returned. Now she is wholly human," Lilith explained.

Shinji was shaking Rei now, "Rei, can you hear me? Are you still alive?"

Rei's eyes twitched, than opened, "I…Ikari?"

"Hi Rei," Shinji smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"I…" Rei suddenly sat up, "What's happened to me?"

"You have separated yourself from me," Lilith told her, "You are now fully human."

"Wait a second," Asuka said suddenly, "You said us four are the sole defenders, but there are only three Eva pilots!"

"No, there are four," Adam protested.

"No there…" Shinji frowned, than suddenly paled, "you can't mean…Kaworu? But he…"

"No, Tabris is not the fourth," Adam frowned, "You don't remember the fourth? The one that battled with Bardiel?"

"Bardiel…?" Asuka blinked.

"Bardiel the Angel of Hail," Lilith explained, "The thirteenth…"

"**_What_**!" Shinji cried, "You mean…"

"Hey Shinji! Are we alive?" a voice called from down the shore. Toji Suzuhara.


	2. Chapter 02: The Four Guardians

Chapter 02: The Four Guardians

January 02, 2016 (Day 0)

Somewhere on the coast of Japan

"Okay, let me get this all straight," Toji Suzuhara said, scratching his formerly amputated leg, "You angels were testing humanity to see if they could stop these demons. We, representing humanity, did. And now we have to stop the demons?"

"Correct," Lilith said encouragingly.

"But…but I never…"

"That was an unexpected outcome of the battle," Adam said, "Either you would succeed and save Unit 03, or you would be killed. Neither happened."

"So what if he had been killed?" Shinji asked angrily.

"Than there would be three," Adam stated simply, "Unless another pilot was chosen."

"Umm…" Toji glanced nervously at Shinji, who just stared at Adam.

"All the pilots that survived the attacks were to be guardians," Lilith told them, "Even if their Evangelions had been destroyed."

"Great," Asuka snorted, "That's all nice and peachy. But what _exactly_ are we defending?" Asuka pointed at the city, "Earth is an empty rock of a wasteland! We four are the only humans left on the planet!"

"Currently, yes," Adam said, "But as _I_ said: This was all a test. To punish you during the testing would not be right."

"What­−" Shinji started.

"We must leave, as we said before," Lilith explained, "When we do, we shall undo our damage. That is, for the most part." Lilith glanced sadly at them, "Not everything that is done can be undone. For that, I am sorry."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked, addressing the Angels directly for the first time.

"Listen to what I have to say carefully," Adam told them, "When we leave we will begin a process that will take approximately 23 of your hours. This process will undo the damage of the Second Impact…"

"The _Second_ Impact?" Toji cried, "But that means…"

"Dear," Lilith glanced at Adam, than turned to the children, "What will happen is this: Everyone one that died as a direct result of our activities here on Earth will be returned to you, except for SEELE, for they wish to remain, a few of your murderers, and…" She stopped.

"Yes, and…" Asuka asked, not really caring as thoughts of her mother flood her consciousness. Mother soon, she smiled, soon I see you again. Shinji also had a look of bliss on his face. Well, at least that idiot Shinji can be happy now.

"Those whose souls that were altered when they merged with Evangelion."

It had been a couple of minutes since Lilith had pronounced those words, Toji noted as he glanced at Angels, who were apparently waiting for their reactions. Both Shinji's and Asuka's faces had let up at the first part of what the Angel had said, but…

Toji glanced over at them, both kneeling on the ground in muted pain as he pondered his feelings. Toji's parents had both been dead and gone when this madness had started. He knew that neither of them would be coming back, given the circumstances; his sister was all that he had left. But…But how he wished that they could come back. Shinji and Asuka both had hoped for that moment that their mothers would be returned, only to have them snuffed.

"I understand that you are in pain, now," Adam spoke finally, "But our time is waning. We must speak of other things."

"I…I understand," Shinji choked as he stood, "My mother…she must have known…somehow…" He smiled, "She helped me when I needed it. That's all that there is to it."

Rei frowned, "I do not understand why you will bring back everyone."

"Rei what are you talking about!" Toji snapped, "Why shouldn't…"

"Because many people will die again as soon as they are revived," Rei stated simply, "The inhabitants of many coastal cities would appear underwater."

"Umm…" Toji blinked.

"We are not simply going to revive the people," Adam said, "We are going to restore the Earth to its condition before the Second Impact."

"How is _that_ possible?" Toji gaped, "I mean, you got all that liquid to make new bodies for people, but…what about the millions of tons of concrete and…other things that buildings need? And the animals and trees…"

"When we initiated Second Impact, a…mold if you will was taken of all the inanimate objects of the earth. The imprints will be placed and the matter that composed them will be returned and restored," Adam explained, "If humans have…disrupted the mold by building on top of it, than the people that existed there will be returned in similar places to where they were."

"What…?" Toji's head felt like it would explode at all of this information.

"What about the weather?" Rei asked calmly.

"The weather patterns will return to normal in the spring time of the northern hemisphere," Lilith told them.

"We must speak of other things," Adam insisted, "My dear, we must tell them more of the Demons before we leave."

"Yes," Lilith nodded.

Adam seemed to brood for a moment before speaking, "Tell me…do you know why you were attacked be all fifteen of our children?"

The four children stared at him. Why?

"Simple," Asuka snorted bitterly, "You wanted to see of we were _strong enough_!"

"That is partially correct," Adam said, "The whole reason is to show you all the aspects that you will face. All of the angels came at you one at a time, each with its own abilities and strengths, in order to show you what you will face from the Demons."

But that means, Asuka stared…No…No…No not…

"All?" Shinji asked carefully, "Including…Tabris?"

"Yes, the Demons may attempt to spy on you disguised as a human," Adam told him.

No…not…_that_, Asuka pleaded silently, Not…that…not…

"The only way we were able to stop the sixteenth was by self-destructing," Rei noted.

"Armisael was a powerful being," Lilith remarked, "You will have to learn from what you know and do what you must."

No…not that…not the Fif−

"Asuka?" Shinji asked, "You okay?"

"Wha…umm," Asuka snapped out of her reverie, "I'm fine! Okay!"

"You sure?" he asked quietly, "I mean…I remember what happened…"

"I'm fine!" she insisted sharply. She stood and marched up to the two Angels, "Let me get this straight: You are going to return Earth back to pre-Second Impact condition, revive everyone except…a few people that died because of you, leave, and than have us fight these Demons that will have all the abilities that you…demonstrated for us?"

"Correct," Adam nodded.

"**_With what_**!" she screamed, "Unit 03 was destroyed; my Unit 02 is a complete mess along with 00; and 01…we don't even know what that is anymore!"

"Yes, all of the original Evangelions are no longer usable," Lilith nodded, "However, none of them were intended to fight the Demons; only the Angels. Therefore we have prepared replacements," Lilith turned and pointed out to the crimson. In the distance, four huge geysers of LCL surged out of red sea, "Behold!"

"Wow…" Was all the children could say as four familiar behemoths emerged from the sea. They were Units 00 through 03 alright.

"Because of the nature of the battles that you will be fighting, they have been remade," Adam told them, "No longer do they contain a soul of their own; they will be dependant on the pilot for that. Also, we have given them additional power in order to combat the Demons."

"When you fought against my children, you were at least equal in number, but," Lilith paused, "but when you fight against the Demons…the Demons individually may be weaker, equal to, or stronger than my children, but they _will_ vastly outnumber you."

"Great," Asuka muttered, "It's not as if facing just _one_ more would be too much…"

"Of course, we can't give you powers that resemble our own, so we had to use something else," Adam explained, "We decided to base them off the four Greek elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Wind."

The four pilots continued to stare numbly as Lilith smiled, "It's fitting really. It reaches into the mythological of Earth and has you pitted in a struggle of titans for dominance, and also that your personalities fit your element so perfectly: Rei is Water, Asuka is Fire, Toji is Earth, and Shinji is Wind."

"…Huh?" Toji managed, "I'm…Earth?" He glanced at himself.

"The time," Adam stated firmly.

"Yes, I understand," Lilith nodded.

Adam turned to them, "One last thing: We estimate that they will arrive in thirty days…"

"_What_!" Asuka cried.

"The reason we have to hurry," Adam remarked, "They will only be sending a standard Planetary 'Colonizing' Force at the moment. However, if they discover that we were here…"

"We understand," Shinji nodded.

"Also, you must understand that humanity must mature; right now you are in the middle of an adolescence of sorts. During this time, are you are ripe for reaping, but not strong enough to resist as a species, which is why we intervened. In one year, hopefully, we will return with to find you safe."

"You will be returning?" Rei asked.

"Yes, in one year from today…" Adam said as they began to ascend.

"What!" Shinji called, "What if they call for reinforcements?"

"They will most likely only do that if they discover that we were here," Lilith told him, "However, it will take them some time to arrive if they do. Just be on your guard."

"The restoration will begin in an hour. It would be best it you stayed in your Evas in the Geo-Front during the process," Adam told them, "Remember: 23 hours, than 30 days."

"As our last act, we will return the Lance of Longinus to you," Lilith told them as they climbed higher, "Though we don't advise that you use it unless absolutely necessary."

As the Angels disappeared from view, Shinji glanced at the others. They were staying mutely at each other for a moment when Toji spoke, "Well…assuming that this isn't a dream, we had better start swimming."


	3. Chapter 03: Interlude Between Death

Chapter 03: The Interlude Between Death and Rebirth

January 02, 2016 (Day 0)

Somewhere off the coast of Japan

"Well, now what?" Asuka asked sarcastically as they pondered their newest dilemma.

Twenty minutes before, Adam and Lilith had ascended up into the sky, and presumably, left the planet. They had spent a moment taking the whole thing in when they headed out. It had taken them around ten minutes to make the swim to their Evas.

"So I get to be fire, eh?" Asuka had remarked during their migration.

Rei glanced at her as she moved effortlessly across the LCL on her back, "I believe that it is more correct to say that you are fire, Pilot Soryu. They named you fire because you were fire before they…"

"Yeah, yeah," Asuka snorted, "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to myself, doll."

Rei froze mid-stroke. She came to a stop and floated in the red liquid as she glared coldly at Asuka, "I am not a doll."

"Oh, no," Shinji gulped as he bore witness.

"Oh really?" Asuka snarled, "And why aren't you?"

"A doll is a manufactured toy for child that has no will of its own," Rei stated firmly.

"Oh yeah," Asuka countered, "And what are you? A manufactured girl with no will of your own cause Lilith isn't in you anymore!"

Rei was about to say something when Toji managed to interpose himself, "Hey, knock it off. We need to get to our Evas and as much as climbing into that thing again creeps me out, we can't just float around and bite each other's heads off!"

"Back off stooge!" Asuka snapped as she moved closer when something stopped her.

"Asuka, please stop," Shinji pleaded, "We have to get to the Evas. The world's about to turn itself inside out and we can't be caught in the middle."

Asuka's molten look nearly caused Shinji to capsize, but he managed to steady himself, "Asuka, the whole world is going to be depending on us four. We can't afford to sit around here. We don't know how the world will be during the next 23 hours, and we have to be in the Evas for safety reasons."

Asuka continued to glare for moment, than started to swim, "Okay, fine. We can drop it for now." Rei seemed satisfied and continued to head for Unit-00.

"Oh, boy," Toji smiled wanly at Shinji, "And to think that you might have had to restart humanity with _her_?"

Shinji blushed, but didn't day anything.

When they had arrived at the Evas, they floated before them silently. They stared at the newly remade giants, glistening in the pale sun light.

Asuka was the first to break the silence, "Well now what?"

"Well, umm…" Shinji pondered.

"We need to get to the Entry Plug," Rei stated.

"What Entry Plug?" Asuka asked sharply, "I don't see a Plug anywhere!"

"Maybe it's already in," Toji suggested. Everyone stared at him for a moment, "Umm…"

"It is a valid possibility," Rei asserted.

"Yeah, sure," Asuka snorted, "Okay, but how do we get up there? Climbing isn't feasible; the thing is completely sealed!"

"No, but is may be the only option," Rei noted.

"Well, isn't there a ladder or something on or in the Eva?" Toji asked.

"Well, I…" Asuka turned to Shinji, who was drifting closer to the Evas, "What are you doing?"

"Well, umm," he smiled strangely, "You can call me crazy, but…but I can feel my Eva. It's as if…as if I were inside, but only much further away."

Asuka frowned, "Huh…? Wait; didn't Adam say that the…souls in the Evas had been removed and that they were dependent on our souls?"

"Yes," Rei nodded, "That could mean that we are capable of a limited sync outside of them, if we are close enough."

"Let me try this," Shinji said as he closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Than a creak sounded as Eva-01's arm flexed and shuddered suddenly.

"Wah!" Toji cried as the waves sent them rocking. The arm calmed down, and than with seemingly great deliberation, rose out of the LCL, bearing Shinji up to its mighty shoulder.

"_Holy crap_!" Toji exclaimed as he fought to stay up.

"I see," Rei nodded. She swam over to Eva-00 and began to concentrate.

"I guess if we have to," Toji moaned as he glanced at Asuka.

"Huh? Oh right," Asuka said, sounding very distracted.

"What's the problem?" Toji asked.

Asuka ignored him as she swam, doubt, pain and rage rising in her. Could she sync? Her sync-rate had gone down the toilet during the last part of the Angels…test, but had jumped when she had realized that her mother had been the soul in her Eva. But now…now what? Could she? And what if she couldn't?

_Stop doubting_, she snapped at herself, _if that idiot Shinji can do it, I can too!_

She forced the thoughts away and concentrated on her Eva before her.

"Any ideas?" Asuka called sharply as she sat down on the shoulder of Eva-02. Sure, controlling the movements of the Evas remotely had got them on top, but it didn't do a thing for them to open the hatch on the back of the Evas' necks. There simply wasn't a way for them to 'think' that action.

"I do not see any access panels," Rei replied.

"How long has it been since Adam and Lilith left?" Shinji inquired.

Asuka glanced upward for a moment, "Twenty minutes or so."

"We're running out of time," Shinji sighed as he lend against the head of 01.

Toji glanced around when he suddenly turned and smiled widely, "I've got it!"

"What are you talking about, stooge?" Asuka snapped.

"Why, the key to opening the hatch," he grinned and turned around to face the head. He spread his hands out dramatically and boomed in a deep voice, "Open Sesame!"

Toji turned back around, smiling broadly at the other pilots. Shinji smiled faintly; Rei blinked as she tried to understand; Asuka glared harshly, "You idiotic…"

Toji nearly lost his footing as the colossal head of Eva-03 tilted forward and a cylinder was ejected from the base of its neck. A panel on the side of the cylinder slide open to reveal the cockpit.

"Crap, I didn't think it would work that well," Toji said, miffed at the situation.

"It appears that the thought-commands associated with the words 'Open Sesame' triggered the command in the Eva," Rei commented.

"Umm…Rei that's…" Shinji grinned nervously.

"It's a joke!" Asuka snorted, "Open!" 02's hatch ejected smoothly in response, "See?"

"Right, right," Shinji said tiredly, "Let's just get going."

January 02, 2016 (Day 0)

Approaching Tokyo-3, Japan

It would have been an odd sight, if anyone had been around to see it. Four gigantic mechanical creatures marched across the disturbingly empty land of Japan as they headed for home. An outside observer might have concluded that they could have been the cause of whatever kind of disaster had befallen all of the little creatures that had formerly inhabited the lands. But than again, after closer inspection of the city, one could see signs that indicated that they originated, or at least belonged in the city, as many doors into the earth seemed designed for them. Could they be failed guardians for all of the small creatures that seemed to have vanished into thin air? Or was something else going on?

Asuka grimaced as she glanced around at her surroundings. The cockpit was largely the same as in the first 02, but with a few additions. As Adam and Lilith had mentioned, the Evas were indeed endowed with additional abilities: The control panel on her right had four screens that were simply marked Fire-1 through 4. Next to them was a display that had a countdown timer that currently read 22:35:23. And right next to that was the source of Asuka's dismay: A Sync Ratio readout. It was as she had feared: Her Sync was pathetic. It wasn't so bad that she couldn't control the Eva, but it was borderlining at 21.

_Why me? Why do I have to be so pathetic? I mean, if anyone should be this pathetic, it would be Toji. Granted I don't know what his Sync is, but…Asuka growled darkly, It's not fair! I'm doing my best, why am I not in Sync? I mean, we're not even Syncing with another soul! Why is it so pathetically low?_

_You know why…_

Asuka nearly screamed as she searched for where the voice had come from, _Who are you_! _Where are you_!

Suddenly, an image of a little girl appeared in her mind, _Don't you remember me?_

Shinji frowned as he noticed Asuka falter slightly. He didn't know what her Sync was, but he suspected it wasn't great. But still, it couldn't be that low, could it?

He activated the comm, "Asuka, you alright?"

"I…I'm fine," Asuka said finally, "I…I just lost my concentration for a second, that's all."

"Oh, okay," Shinji nodded, "Well, we're almost to the shaft. Hopefully nothing spectacular will happen until we make it to the Geo-Front."

Asuka nodded absentmindedly, causing Shinji to frown again, "Asuka, you sure you'll alright?"

Asuka snarled suddenly, "I'm fine, blast it! Besides, it's none of your business, so leave me alone!" She cut off the comm link.

Shinji sighed as he glanced at the 02, _Asuka why are you hiding? I just want to help._

Shinji activated his comm again, "Toji, how are you doing?"

"Huh? Where's that…Ah," Toji appeared with a grin, "Man, this is cool! I really wish that I could have piloted before!"

"It wasn't all fun, Toji," Shinji reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm getting the hang of this, though. I just wonder what these Earth-1 through Earth-4 things do."

"I don't know," Shinji shrugged, "They aren't active, so we can't see. Besides, we can worry about them later. I'm sure Dr. Akagi will be able to figure them out."

"Right, right," Toji nodded, "Anyways, I was just wondering what will happen to us after all of this is over."

Shinji chuckled, "That's a little far in the future, Toji. But I guess you could marry Hikari…"

"Hey!" Toji blushed, "That's not funny!"

Rei finally decided that she felt weird. It was an odd feeling, and she had never been good about deciding these things. It was easier to let others do that for her in most cases. But now she decided that no one would be able to tell her this, so she had to do it herself.

_I was both a human created from the DNA of Yui Ikari, and I was portion of Lilith, mother of the Angels. I contained Lilith, but I was also a part of Lilith, so I was not wholly myself. However, now that Lilith is gone, I am myself. I am…alone._

_Was that voice in my head when I was attacked by the 16th Angel that Angel, or was it the other part of me? Who am I really? I am Rei, but that doesn't mean the same thing as it did before. Or does it? Am I me? Or am I someone else? Does that even matter?_

Suddenly, her comm flashed: Shinji was calling, "Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji?"

"I was just wondering how you are doing," Shinji smiled faintly, seeming slightly embarrassed.

"I am…feeling…weird."

He frowned, "Weird?"

"I am not sure exactly what to think of myself. I was both myself and Lilith, but now I am just me. Or am I me?" she asked, more herself than him.  
"I'm not sure how to answer you, Rei," Shinji sighed, "I wish I could help."

"That's alright," Rei said impassively, "You can only help where you are able to."

"Right," Shinji nodded. He glanced off-screen for a moment, "Well, we're here."

January 02, 2016 (Day 0)

Geo-Front below Tokyo-3, Japan

The Evas entered the Geo-Front much like they had exited it during the attack of the 9th Angel when the power was out. They slowly made their way into the compound and decided to wait outside in the open area. They stood in a circle, facing outward just in case anything happened; there paranoia was born out of their lifestyle for the past year.

Asuka brooded as she sat in her Eva, going over her situation, "Argg, this is just too depressing. I need something else to do." She heaved and sighed. This was worst than just laying on the beach with Shinji…What a second…

She triggered the comm, "Hey Shinji!"

A moment later, "Umm, yeah?"

"Well?" she asked him expectantly.

He gulped nervously, "Well what?"

"Are you going to explain yourself or not?"

"Umm, about what?"

She rolled her eyes, "Why you were strangling me on the beach, of course."

He blinked, "Oh, that…umm…"

She leaned back and folded her arms, "I'm waiting."

Shinji sighed, "Well…the only real lucid reason that I can give you is that when I was…merged with Lilith or whatever happened to me during Third Impact my mind was…stretched and twisted and than had heavy weights being bounced off of it like a trampoline. I felt as it I was on the verge of exploding and imploding at the same time. Some of the mental images that were being sent to me included you."

Asuka frowned deeply, "They weren't perverted, were they?"

Shinji shrugged helplessly, "I don't know; maybe some of them. But the one that I can mostly remember had you…except it wasn't really you. It was like…like you were dead, but someone was using your body like a marionette or something. In any case…you were…cruel, and I guess a part of my mind lashed out when I saw that you were helpless."

Asuka stared at him carefully for a moment, than spoke, "Why do you say I looked dead?"

"Your eyes," Shinji replied slowly, "They…They didn't have any life in them."

"Oh, so my eyes are real lively now?" Asuka fluttered her eyes.

Shinji hesitated for moment, as if considering how wise it would be to answer when Asuka started to frown at him, "Well…umm…that is…yes they are, but nearly as much as when we first met."

Asuka's face darkened, "Are you implying something idiot?"

"Well, umm…"

"My life is my affair, and only my affair, _got it_?" she barked, shutting the comm off. Asuka continued to glare where Shinji's face had been.

_How dare he. How _dare_ he! Who is he to talk? We've all been through hell during the Angel's so-called test, me especially. He's broken down and cried on numerous occasions and he thinks that I've got a problem because my eyes are less lively than they used to be! I mean, he said that he went through things that I couldn't begin to understand, but so have I! And I haven't cried over them like he has! Good grief, I've suffered a lot more than he has, and you don't see me balling my eyes out._

_No, but you tried to kill yourself._

_Shut up! I just…couldn't stand it anymore! No one cared about me, so what did it matter. I can make it on my own. I don't need anyone's help; especially that idiot Shinji._

She punched the comm again, "I'm getting some sleep, so no one bother me." She sat back and tried to comfortable.

_You know you're wrong._

_Shut up._


	4. Chapter 04: Dead Men Walking

Chapter 04: Dead Men Walking

January 03, 2016 (Day 1)

Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji had drifted off like the others had during their waiting. He awoke and, suddenly realizing where he was, looked over at the timer: -00:12:12.

"Hey is anyone awake?" Shinji asked, _Wait…if Asuka is still sleeping…_he gulped.

A moment later, Toji answered, "Hey, Shinji. I've been awake for a hour now. There were some spectacular fireworks about a half hour ago. I thought about waking you guys up, but they only lasted for about two minutes and you were all out cold," he explained.

"Fireworks?" Shinji asked when Rei's face appeared

"I am awake," she said, blinking the last of her sleep away.

"Uh, hey Rei," Shinji nodded slowly, "How long…"

"What do you want idiot!" Asuka yelled at him.

Shinji flinched, but managed to respond, "Th…The timer."

"Oh," was her response, "It looks like we'll be able to get out soon."

"I wonder how the commander will react to all this," Rei asked. Shinji shuddered; he wasn't looking forward to that.

"I just want some food!" Toji announced.

"Food would be good," Rei agreed quietly.

"Hey, now that Lilith's out of your system, are you going to start to eat real food?" Asuka taunted. Rei didn't respond.

"I wonder how much Dr. Akagi will be able to figure out about our new Evas," Shinji pondered.

"Hopefully, she'll be able to figure out how our new abilities work," Asuka remarked, "I mean, they won't be of much use if we can't use them."

Silence reigned for a moment, when Shinji spoke, "So what about those fireworks, Toji?"

"Fireworks?" Asuka frowned.

"You guys were asleep when they happened," Toji told them, "There was something like a lightning storm or something. It was weird, striking here and there. It looked like it electrified the whole place, but now there isn't a trace."

"Curious," Rei frowned, "Part of the preparations?"

"Dunno," Toji shrugged, "We got seven minutes to go, and than we get to see."

The minutes past by at an agonizingly slow pace and since no one had anything to say, it just went that much slower. As the clock ticked down second by second, all of the pilots pondered what it would be like. None of them had been alive before the Second Impact, even though they many of the adult constantly told them about it, so they didn't really know what it would be like. They also wondered how all of the…dead people who would soon be alive would react to being alive again. But no one said anything because they didn't know where to start.

As the clock moved to within seconds, Toji mumbled, "It would really suck if nothing happens."

00:00:02…00:00:01…00:00:00…

"Okay…" Shinji glanced about. Nothing was happening…wait.

"Can anyone else feeling the earth shaking?" Rei asked. The shaking continued for a moment, than stopped.

"Well that was anti-climactic," Asuka snorted, "We wait for a whole day−"

The ground beneath them suddenly turned sun bright as lances of energy flared and than the whole world turned white.

"Yaaghh!" Shinji cried as his Eva was rocked by the unnatural energies being released around him. He couldn't see anything and none of his sensors were operational.

And than it was over.

January 03, 2016 (Day 1)

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Sir…?" a hesitant voice called to him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Ibuki," Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki said hesitantly, "Ah, um…what am I…aren't we…"

"Dead, sir?" Shigeru Aoba finished.

"Yes," Fuyutsuki look around. The Command Center was just like it would be on any normal day. No battle damage, no blood, no bodies. But…

"Excuse me…" in of the men in battle armor approached slowly, "Didn't we all just…"

"I think that it would be beneficial if all of your men were to call a cease-fire and _get out of here_," he grunted harshly.

"Ah, yes sir…That's a good idea."

"Lieutenant Aoba, track down Commander Ikari. We…"

"Sir!" Aoba paled significantly, "Um, Pilot Ayanami has just asked for docking permission for Eva-00 through 03."

Fuyutsuki's eyes bulged, "_03_?"

"Yes sir."

Major Misato Katsuragi stood slowly after a long moment. _I'm not dead? But I was shot and I fell over…and…_

"Attention all personal! By order of Commander Fuyutsuki, all personal are to go to Battle Stations and are to stand by. Also, no personal are to engage…former enemy troops as they exit NERV HQ unless engaged."

"Well that's just dandy!" Misato yelled. She punched the elevator controls and waited.

_Did Shinji succeed? Are we all right? I mean, I died, at least I think I did, but…I'm fine now. Why? I mean…How the hell did all of is happen?_

The elevator arrived.

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi climbed out of the LCL lake more on instinct than anything else.

_But I died. I was shot and I died. Mother betrayed me, so I was shot and I died. Commander Ikari shot me and I **died**!_

"_Ikari_!" she screamed.

"Oh, Dr. Akagi," he answered calmly, "I see you're alive as well. At least, I believe we are alive."

She gaped as she sat down hard, "This…this isn't…"

"Oh it must be possible," Commander Gendo Ikari sighed, "Otherwise we could not be here. If I remember correctly, the Third Impact was occurring when…Yui…killed me."

"Y…Yui?" she stuttered.

"Mmm, yes…Yes it was Yui, I'm sure of it. I don't think she was happy with the way I acted towards Shinji after she died. That's why the dummy plug wouldn't work again, and that's why she killed me."

The PA system suddenly blared out Aoba's voice. Afterward, Ikari calmly started to walk, "Doctor…despite our differences, I think it would be best if we headed up to the Command Center."

"Our…differences!" Akagi nearly choked, "You _shot_ me you bastard!"

He turned, "I did, but only so that Third Impact could occur. Now that that is seemingly over, we have to deal with whatever Shinji has done in order to allow us this conversation." He started to walk again.

Ritsuko Akagi stared at him, and than with a surrendering sigh, followed him.

Misato entered the Command Center to see Shigeru Aoba, Makoto Hyuga, Maya Ibuki, and Commander Fuyutsuki busily trying to get things under control.

Fuyutsuki motioned to her, "Take command of the Evas, Major," he ordered quickly, "I'm trying to get a hold of the government."

"What's going on?" Misato blurted out, "I was dead up until a few minutes ago!"

"Join the club," Shigeru snorted, "We were _all_ dead. That's why the entire world is in a panic."

"The…whole world?" she breathed incredulously.

"Yep. And _four_ Evas are coming home to roost."

"_Four_!" her jaw dropped.

"That's right," Maya nodded, "Apparently Toji Suzuhara is the pilot of Eva-03; which is apparently functioning fine."

"But…but…" Misato stammered, "Only 01 and 02 were operational…00 and 03 were scrap!"

"Indeed, Major," Commander Ikari said as he and Dr. Akagi entered, "Things have progressed…unexpectedly."

"…Unexpectedly?" she whispered to herself.

Shinji slowly maneuvered into his docking bay when his comm chirped.

"Hey Shinji!" Misato smiled broadly.

"Oh, Mistato!" Shinji blinked, "Umm, hi. It's been a while…well, actually a day, but it seems like a while."

"Uh, right," she nodded, "So what happened? I mean, I _was_ dead…I think…"

"I…we explain later," Shinji told her, "It's complicated…and it's no over yet."

She frowned, "Not over? But all of the Angels…"

"This isn't about the Angels, Misato."

"Oh…" she paused, "Umm, Shinji…you remember if I…umm, said anything…odd before…"

"Nope," he said quickly, "I don't really remember you saying anything out of the ordinary."

"Oh, okay," she smiled faintly, "Just…making sure…"

"Right."

An hour had past since the Rebirth and most of the nations of the world had managed to get themselves under control. Emergency status was norm, but things were calming down, at least in terms of the panic of awaking from the dead. The celebrations of being reunited with people nearly sixteen years dead were just starting to flare up.

"The U.N., whom we officially report to," Commander Ikari spoke to all of the senior members of NERV and the pilots, "is holding a full-session in two hours. In this meeting, I am to report _exactly_ what has transpired in the last few days. Considering that SEELE and the committee no longer are with us, we can't avoid this meeting in any way. So…would anyone tell me what _exactly_ happened?"

Shinji sighed, "Well…it all started with a test…"

Five minutes later…

"Wait a minute," Ritsuko Akagi waved her hand, "You're telling us that all of this was in preparation for an invasion of entities that are going to try and enslave us? And that the _benevolent_ Angels decided to _kindly_ prepare us for it. But we can't let so-called Demons learn that the Angels were here, otherwise they'll simply vaporize our planet?"

"That's about it, Doc," Toji nodded.

"Wait a minute…You're saying that _everyone_ that was killed by Second Impact was brought back?" Misato asked rather tensely.

"Umm…nearly everyone…" Shinji nodded slowly.

"Lieutenant Hyuga," she snapped into her comm, "what's the situation with Antarctica?"

"Antarctica? Well…" he paused as he checked for data on his console, "Umm…its…there…"

"Father…" she breathed, "My father is alive…

"Sir, permission to search for and recover the Katsuragi Antarctic Expedition!" she said as she stood.

"Major…" Ikari sighed.

"I am…was the sole survivor of that expedition! I am the best person for the job!" she snapped, "Umm...sir!"

The commander of NERV sighed, "Very well…"

"Can I come?" a masculine voice called, "It'd be nice to meet your dad."

"No…way…" Misato nearly faint.

Commander Ikari merely stared.

Shinji and Asuka's jaws dropped.

"But…" Fuyutsuki stammered, "But you're dead!"

Ryoji Kaji smiled, "So I was. Apparently, so were a whole lot of people; many of them were dead a lot longer than I was, but that didn't stop them."

"_Kaji you jerk_!" Misato cried as she made a half-hearted attempt to floor him with a haymaker.

"Whoa, I didn't do anything to deserve that, did I?" he smiled roguishly.

"Mr. Kaji," Commander Ikari spoke quietly, "I don't believe that you are authorized to be here anymore."

"Oh, come come, Commander," he smiled again, "We both now that our differences are in the past. I mean, now that Third Impact is over and done with and SEELE is gone, why can't we all just get along."

"I believe that you said something similar to me," Dr. Akagi smiled coldly, "and that was _after_ you personally shot me!"

"Oh dear," Kaji blinked, "You _shot_ poor Dr. Akagi? How cruel…"

"Kaji…" he growled.

"Father," Shinji spoke suddenly, "We don't have time to fight one another. We only have 30 days until the Demons are here."

The elder Ikari glared at him, than Kaji before shaking his head, "Fine. But be aware that your activities will be _closely_ monitored. I will brook no rebellion at this point."

"Just so long as no one is trying to kill me or is plotting against the rest of humanity," Kaji replied.

"Fair enough."

"_Crap_!" Toji snapped as he started for the door.

"Mr. Suzuhara!" Misato snapped, "Where are you going?"

"Ma'am," he turned, "my little sister is out there somewhere, and frankly I just realized that she probably isn't lain up in the hospital anymore."

"So? The hospital won't let her…"

"Given the situation _and_ given that it's my sister, I doubt that they'll be able to keep her for long," he shot back.

"Umm," Misato turned to the commander.

He waved his hand, "I know everything I need to right now, and I have to prepare for my meeting with the U.N. None of the pilots are needed right now, so you are dismissed. Be back here at 0800.

"Let's go, Fuyutsuki," he stood.

Toji turned to Shinji, "Can you head to my place?"

"Sure," Shinji nodded.

Asuka got up, "I'm going to go see Hikari."

"Oh, check on Pen-Pen when you do!" Misato called after her. Soon, it was just Misato and Ryoji in the conference room.

"Well, we need to get ready to head out−" Misato said when Ryoji put a hand on her shoulder.

"Been a while, hasn't it Katsuragi?"

"Kaji…" she growled.

"I may be a good-for-nothing bum at times," he smiled, "But I do remember my promises."

Misato paled slightly and tried to turn away, "I don't think…"

He pulled her back and put his other hand on her shoulder, "Kat…Misato. I love you."

"Kaji, you idiotic jerk," she whimpered, trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry for everything I've put you through," he said softly, "But I want us to work. We all _died_ Misato. We died with things unresolved and frankly I don't want to live this…second chance at life making the same mistakes. I'll understand if…"

"Oh, just shut up," she smiled, wiping away some tears, "You're right…it's just that…that I…I'm scared that if we try we'll just screw it up."

"I know," he nodded, "but I think that if Shinji can get up the guts to defend me from his father, we can get this to work."

Misato smirked, "Yeah." She hugged him, "I'm glad you're alive."

"Me too," he laughed and looked at her playfully, "So you wanna get married?"

"_WHAT_!"

Asuka moved away from the doorway, attempting to keep herself from crying out. She had decided to wait outside the door for Kaji, not wanting to ask him in front of everyone if he would come with her. Only now she realized her true position.

_What a fool I've been. I thought that maybe I still had a chance that I could get him, _she raged to herself, _But…why did I have to wait! Why did I have to hear that?_

_At least now you know._

_Would you shut up! I don't need you! I don't need _anyone_! Just leave me alone!_

Shinji walked down the street cautiously, glancing around at all of the people. Some were still in a state of shock, moving around like robots. Others were literally dancing in the streets. Some people asked him what it was like for him.

"I don't know really," he would smiled sheepishly, "I just woke up." True in everyway, but he had been around of the day that they had all missed.

_Life was the same as it had always been, yet it was suddenly very different_, he realized, _I mean, I literally decided what the world would be like, didn't I? I wanted this world, where people have the ability to make their own lives, and not be bound all into one as Lilin. What it the right choice? What if we fail and we all are enslaved or killed? Would it be the right choice then?_

_Yes._

Shinji blinked in surprise at his own answer. He never felt so confident about any decision before. But why? Where did this confident come from?

The answer was obvious: It came from his experiences during the Third Impact. Despite the pain and horror that he had suffered, it had done one thing for him: It had forced him to make an important and irreversible decision. No one had told him how he should decide, no one had been there to support him or correct him. He had had to do all of it on his own.

He smiled tightly, _It's like a part of me that was afraid to come out was dragged out. The part of me that was afraid to stop playing the cello because I was told to start, but never to stop. I was afraid that someone would be angry with me, so I didn't. Am I not afraid anymore, or am I just prepared to take the risk if I need to?_

His thoughts stopped as he arrived at Toji's apartment complex. A few minutes later and he was standing outside of his friend's door. Pausing momentarily, he knocked, "Hello?" Toji had said that his sister had a key to the apartment on her necklace, so she wouldn't forget it. So if she did manage to slip out of the hospital, she would have been able to get in.

Grunting he glanced around before knocking again, "Hello? My name is Shinji Ikari and I'm a friend of your brother, Toji. If you're in there, please say so. Your brother is worried about you, Sakura."

When there wasn't an answer, Shinji sighed, _She's not here_.

He turned to leave when a small voice came from the door, "You know Toji?"

Shinji's heart stopped for a minute. He whirled around, "Umm, yes I know your brother. He's a good friend of mine."

For a moment, she said nothing. Than, "Where is he? He wasn't at the hospital, so I thought he might be here…"

"Your brother went to the hospital to look for you, but I guess you had left…"

"But he was _in_ the hospital! His…leg…"

"Oh, that," Shinji smiled, "His leg was fixed when everything…"

"But why wasn't he _in_ when I…woke up like everyone else!" she demanded, "Where was he?"

"Shinji!" Toji arrived suddenly, obviously winded, "Is…tell me you're not crazy and just talking to my door."

"Toji!" the door opened and a blur blazed past Shinji and blew Toji to the ground, with a 12 year old girl sitting on him.

"Toji you idiot, where were you?" she demanded, thumping him hard on his forehead.

"Ahh, Sis," he smiled tightly, "can't you get off? I…"

"Talk!" she snapped.

"She and Asuka would get along…" Shinji mumbled.

"Umm…" Toji tried to glance around, "It's a top secret. I can't just say it out here."

"Oh," she blinked, accepting that as perfectly reasonable. She rolled off and walked over to Shinji.

"Hi, I'm Sakura Suzuhara!" she smiled sweetly, "Nice to meet you, Shinji."

"Umm, yeah," he chuckled as he shook her hand.

"Come in, Toji!" she said as she marched into the apartment, "I'll get some snacks out!"

"Your sister is…nice," Shinji said as he helped Toji up.

"Yep," he chuckled.

No one had told Rei to do anything, so she simply went to her apartment. As she turned the knob, a cold feeling ran done her spine, chilling her. She paused momentarily, but ignored the feeling and entered.

_Why am I suddenly uncomfortable?_ she pondered as she walked to the desk and sat. She glanced about, looking for the latest school work. When she located it underneath another folder, but as she started to read it, she suddenly didn't feel like working on it. She frowned at her reaction.

She set the papers down and went over to the mirror. _Why am I reacting this way? Is it because I no longer have a portion of Lilith within me?_

She sat down on her bed, trying to find the source of her unease. She looked around the room and could only find one thing to say, "I hate this place."

Hikari Horaki nearly jumped out of her chair when someone abruptly knocked on her door. Nervously she approached the door, "Hello?"

"Hey, Hikari; it's me, Asuka!" the German girl responded.

"Oh, Asuka," Hikari breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the door, "I'm glad you're here. Everything is…well…"

"Yeah, I know," Asuka nodded as she sat at the table, "Where's Midori and Ayumi?"

"In their room, playing," Hikari said as she sat down, "I…tried to explain what happened but…what did happen Asuka? You know, right?"

Asuka sighed softly, "It's…complicated. Essentially…well everybody died. Well, _almost_ everybody. I didn't…I least I don't think I did, 'cause I woke up injured. And that idiot Shinji…"

Hikari frowned, "Why are you always attacking him? He hasn't done anything to you."

Asuka snorted, "Maybe, but he is at least partially responsible for what happened."

Hikari blinked in surprise, "How's that?"

"Well, the Third Impact was basically a choice of how life for humanity was going to continue before we faced down the demons, or something; I don't really know the details. Anyways, Lilith, in one way or another, asks what we are going to be. Thing is, she don't ask everyone, or even all of the Eva pilots; she just asked little Shinji!" Asuka spat.

"So you're upset that Shinji made a decision that affected you," Hikari analyzed.

Asuka blinked, than sighed, "Yeah."

"Would you have chosen differently?"

Asuka gave her an irritated look, "So what if I wouldn't have? I don't like it that he chose and I had no power to do anything about it! I was, am and Eva pilot, too! I suffered─"

"I understand," Hikari said calmly interrupting her, "But does that mean that you have to take it out of him? I mean, you two are more alike…"

"Don't say that," Asuka hissed.

Suddenly, a door flew open and a screaming penguin dashed out, closely followed by two girls, "WARK!"

"Hey, Pen-Pen," Asuka smiled, "Having fun?"

The avian creature regarded her with disdain, "Wark!"

"Hiya Asuka!" the two younger Horakis smiled.

"Oh, right," Hikari laughed, "Umm, can you take Pen-Pen back now? I mean, he's fun to have around, but…umm, he drinks beer…"

"Yeah, I know," Asuka grinned, "So, you ready to come back?"

"Wark!" the penguin nodded emphatically.

"Right, now that that's taken care of," Hikari turned back to Asuka, "Now what? I mean…the Angels are gone, so…"

Asuka heaved a sigh, "It's…complicated."


	5. Chapter 05: New Day, New World

Chapter 05: New Day, New World, New and Old Problems

January 03, 2016 (Day 1, Later)

Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke Aida sat on the edge of his seat as he listened to the hesitant retelling of the events that had happened before the Rebirth. Toji glanced at Shinji, than at his sister, who stared back with an expression fit for a psychologist in an Asylum. Shinji sighed as he nodded knowingly at Toji than glanced at Kensuke and sighed again.

Sakura thought that if it weren't for all the evidence in their favor, they might be able to share a padded cell.

"Okay we told you all we know," Toji insisted, "So why _are_ you here?"

"Huh?" the self-described army nerd blinked, "Oh, I…well woke up, at least that's how everyone else is describing it, and decided to check on my friends. Course I knew that Shinji and Misato wouldn't be home cuz of what was happening…"

"It's been nearly two hours," Toji said narrowly.

"Well…" Kensuke grinned recklessly, "First of course I checked online to see what the latest news was and I swung by Hikari's place and than I headed to the hospital, but you weren't there, so…I figured that you might be home."

"Ah," Shinji smiled, "So the truth is out, eh?"

Sakura sighed, "Brother, you have the strangest friends."

Toji was about to fire back when Shinji's cell phone went off. Grimacing, he answered, "Hello? This is Shinji."

"Hey Shinji!" Misato practically yelled, "Where are you!"

"Ah!" Shinji jumped, "I, uh…I'm at Toji's still."

"Oh. Well Asuka and the Horakis are coming over with Pen-Pen, and it's your turn to cook you know."

Shinji's face faulted, "Uhh, Misato…"

"Oh come on," Misato snorted, "I was dead! You expect me to cook. Besides, I have a lot of other…things to worry about."

"Oh, alright," he gave in, "Is Hikari and her sisters staying."

Toji reacted to Hikari's name being mentioned, a reaction his sister noticed.

"So Toji…"Sakura grinned, "Who's Hikari?"

"Umm…" Toji gulped, apprehension suddenly knocking on the door.

Kensuke grinned evilly, "Why, Hikari is Toji's girlfriend. Or at least, his wanna-be girlfriend…"

"_Kensuke_!" Toji roared.

"What was that?" Misato asked.

"Toji you have a girlfriend!" Sakura pounced, "Is she nice? Is she cute? Is she a good cook? Can she sew? Does she have any siblings? When did you meet her? What does…"

"Kensuke, you monstrous idiot!" Toji was on the verge of strangling his friend.

"I'll be home soon," Shinji said as he ended the call and smiled at the situation, "I feel a little vindicated. I mean, you accused me and Asuka of being newlyweds, and she doesn't even make my lunch for me."

"_She makes you your lunch_!" Sakura squealed, causing her brother to wince in anticipation of what would come next.

Shinji and Kensuke walked ahead of Toji and his sister, whom he was fervently trying to explain to that Hikari was _not_ his girlfriend.

"I feel sorry for him," Kensuke whispered.

"I know," Shinji replied, "I'm glad I don't have a younger sibling."

"Me too," Kensuke nodded, wincing at all the threats that Sakura had made if Toji didn't bring her along to meet Hikari.

"You think that we shouldn't have said anything?" Shinji asked.

"Hey, he deserves it with all the things he's done to us. That and that fact that he and Hikari have been dancing around each other for more than a year," Kensuke asserted.

"Indeed."

"So the three stooges arrive," Asuka snorted when they entered the Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu apartment.

"Are you calling my brother a stooge?" a girl, about age twelve, who reminded Asuka of Toji, asked pointedly.

"Yeah, I am," Asuka said as she leered over the girl.

The girl grinned, "Well that's pretty accurate, I guess."

"Sakura!" Toji hissed.

"What?" Sakura smiled innocently, than turned to Asuka, "I'm Sakura Suzuhara."

"Nice to meet you," Asuka chuckled, "I'm Asuka or That Devil Woman to them."

"Hey, quite crowding," Kensuke complained.

"Yeah whatever, geek stooge." They all migrated a few meters to sit on the coach and available chairs, except for Shinji, who went to the kitchen.

"A penguin?" Sakura blinked, "What's a penguin doing here?"

"Wark," Pen-Pen shrugged.

"Sakura!" a girl Sakura's age cried as she leapt on her.

"Midori! What are you doing here?" she asked as embrace the girl.

"We brought back Pen-Pen," she explained, "Me and my sisters Ayumi and Hikari."

Sakura's eyes, bulged, "Your sister is Toji's girlfriend!"

"You're Hikari's boyfriend!" Midori and Ayumi yelled and pointed at Toji.

"Huh?" Hikari asked as she entered the room.

"Hikari is this true!" they screeched.

"You're Toji's girlfriend!" Sakura yelled.

Hikari turned pure white as Toji pointed emphatically at Kensuke, who was rolling on the floor with Asuka.

"Gee, what's all the noise for?" Misato asked Shinji as he hastily put some food together.

"Oh, that," he sighed, "That would be the result of the three little sisters saying that Toji and Hikari are a couple."

"Aren't they?" Misato frowned.

"Well…not technically. And they don't _think_ that they are…"

"Oh well," she sipped from her can, "You almost done?"

"Almost," he replied acidly, "You _could_ have done some, you know."

"I've got other things to do."

"Really? Like what; drink your−" he stopped, "You aren't downing a beer?" It was a coke.

"I don't want to be drunk right now," she said, growing a little flustered.

"Since when…"

"I said I have a lot on my mind, okay?" she snapped.

"Okay…" Shinji sighed as he went back to work.

"Food!" Kensuke yelled joyously as Shinji set the tray down.

"Are too!" the three girls cried.

"Am not!" Hikari and Toji, now burning red, shot back.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"This is ridiculous," Shinji moaned.

"This is hilarious!" Asuka laughed. Hikari was too busy trying arguing with her sisters to glare at her.

"Where is Ryoji?" Misato grunted as she looked at the clock.

"Mr. Kaji is coming too?" Shinji twitched.

"Yes. He's bringing some food too, so don't worry," Misato told him.

"Are too!"

"_Am not_!"

Asuka continued to laugh at the situation as Toji and Hikari seemed to become even more desperate.

"This is out of control," Shinji muttered, "How are we going to eat with all of this racket…"

Misato slammed her fist on the table, "I'm getting married."

Silence reigned supreme as every head snapped to stare at her. Asuka twitched. Shinji mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Kensuke's, Toji's and Hikari's jaws dropped. Midori, Sakura and Ayumi blinked owlishly.

"Arrg, where is Ryoji?" Misato grumbled, nervously glancing at all of the stunning people in her apartment.

"Umm…" Shinji managed at last, "When did…this happen?"

"Well…" Misato sighed, when the door burst open.

"Hey everyone, hope I'm not…" Ryoji Kaji came to a stop as he looked at everyone, "What happened? Asuka say something nice about Shinji?"

"I told them, idiot," Misato growled.

"Wha…I thought you were going to wait…"

"I wasn't worth waiting," she said shortly.

"Well, dinner was…interesting," Misato said as she and Ryoji stood on the balcony. It was evening, and the sun had already set.

"I think Asuka took it well," Ryoji commented as he put a hand on Misato's shoulder, "That's the one thing that I was really worried about."

"I think the distraction of Toji and Hikari helped," Misato smiled.

"That was funny," Ryoji grinned, "It's nice to see young people flirting like that."

"They _weren't_ flirting!" Misato laughed, "Their siblings were antagonizing them!"

"Sure, that was going on, too," he chuckled.

"I can't believe that I agreed to marry _you_," she laughed, "I must have lost my mind."

"Oh well."

Night had fallen on, and the Day of Rebirth drew to a close in Japan. Many were still up, celebrating with their reunited friends and family. Others looked ahead to the next day, stricken with anxiety as they had no idea what would be in store. Had it all been a dream? A form of cruel trickery? A last meeting between old friends? Only a select few knew the truth.

One of them lay in bed that night facing the same nightmares as she had for the last several years. Only now they were back with a vengeance.

_So Kaji chose Misato instead of me, _Asuka fumed as she stared at her ceiling,_ Well fine! I don't need him! Kaji and Misato can go and screw themselves for all I care! I don't need them! I don't need_ anyone

_You're lying._

_Shut up! I'm fine by myself! I don't need anyone to hold my hand like I'm a little girl! I'm all grown up! If everyone would just go away and leave me alone, I'd be better off._

_You're lying. You're afraid._

_I am_ not _afraid! I am not afraid of_ anythingshe screamed to herself.

_Than go to sleep…_

Asuka's throat caught at that. They were waiting for her. She could sense them on the edge of her consciousness. They were waiting for her to fall asleep; to fall into their hands…

_I am not afraid of them! I'm not!_

_Why are you lying? You can't fool me; I am you…_

Suddenly, Asuka was falling. She tried to scream, but there wasn't any air.

She hit the ground face-down with a dull thump and a groan. Why, she winced, why is this…She trailed off as she looked up and saw a pair of feet suspended above the ground, swiping back and forth.

"No…Mutter…" she breathed as she looked upon the hanging form of her Mother, "Mutter…"

"Asuka…" the corpse smiled and extended a hand towards her.

"No…" Asuka shook her head, "You…you were in my Eva."

As if in response, her extended hand peeled back to reveal a red armor and a second set of glowing eyes appeared on her face, "Asuka, come to heaven with mommy."

"No…" Asuka swallowed, "This…this isn't real…"

Out of nowhere, a second noose dropped down next to her, holding a very familiar doll.

"Come with me Asuka," the singsong voice of her Mother called as her attention shifted to the doll.

"_No_!" Asuka screamed, "I'm Asuka! I'm your daughter, mother! ME! Asuka Langley Soryu!"

"Be a good girl and come with me…" the corpse smiled as both bodies began to burn.

"_NO_!" Asuka cried, "No, mother! Wait!" But all traces of the bodies were gone.

"No…" Asuka collapse, "It's not fair…Why…I'm your…daughter…"

"You don't need me, Asuka," a stern voice thundered.

"Vatter!" Asuka twisted around, "Papa wait!"

A figure in the distance glared at her as it moved away, "You are grown up and capable of taking care of yourself. I have other things I must do."

"PAPA!" Asuka screamed as the figure evaporated, "Please Papa, come back! I need you still! I'm just a little girl!"

"You're just a little girl, Asuka," Ryoji Kaji sneered as he squeezed Misato, "You can't expect me to wait for you to grow up. Just go away."

"Wait, please don't go!" she pleaded as they faded away, "I…"

She stood slowly, "Why is this happening? This isn't real…"

"This is your reality…" the small voice told her.

"Your sync ratio is unacceptable Pilot Soryu!" Dr. Ritsuko Akagi told her coldly.

"But I'm trying as hard as I can!" Asuka protested.

"If you can't do better, you can be replaced," The Doctor continued.

"But…"

"How many times are we going to have to save you, Asuka?" Shinji asked pointedly, appearing behind her with Rei, "It's getting irritating."

Asuka tried to find something to say, but found her mouth to be frozen.

"You can't really blame her," Rei said softly, "She _is_ just a little girl."

"I am…" Asuka started to snarl when she glanced at herself.

"Just a little girl…" a crowd of people that had suddenly surrounded her moaned, "Just a little girl…"

"I…not…" a ten-year old Asuka shook uncontrollably.

"Just a little girl…"

"Just a little girl…"

"_I'm not_!" she screamed, glaring at them, when they all started to walk away, "Wait! Don't go! Don't leave me!"

"Just a little girl…"

Asuka screamed, "Please! _I don't want to be alone_!"

"_Don't_−" she sat up sharply in bed.

Panting heavily, Asuka looked around. Everything was normal: Same room, same bed as before. Glancing at the clock she noted it was nearly four in the morning.

"I'm fine…" she said softly as she collapsed on her bed.

She glanced at the wall that separated her and Shinji's room, _Idiot! I don't need you to rescue me! I don't need anyone!_

Shinji stared at the wall the separated his and Asuka's room. Apparently, sometime during the night he had ripped out one of his SDAT's earphones, allowing him to hear Asuka's scream.

_Was it just a normal nightmare?_ Shinji pondered.

Shinji didn't know what to do. Part of him urgently told him to leave well enough alone. But a small part of him prodded him to do something. This was the same part that had him speak up against his Father earlier; something that his senses were still reeling from.

_Asuka doesn't like people prying into her business._

_But what if she needs help?_

His indecisiveness reared its head causing him to hesitant, but it also sparked a memory:

'You mean that you only still do the cello because no one _told_ you to stop!' Asuka had thundered, 'How pathetic!'

Shinji closed his eyes, W_hat do I do?_

_Do what you must. That's what you learned, remember._

_But…what if…_

_If what?_

Shinji sighed as he looked at the wall again, _I'm afraid._

_Everyone is afraid some of the time. Didn't you hear the fear in her scream?_

_But Asuka…she so strong…_

_Not of late. If you think that, than you're just being delusional._

_I…alright. If I hear it again tomorrow…I'll do something._

_And that's as much as I can do._


	6. Chapter 06: Information and Anger

Chapter 06: Information and Anger

Sunday, January 04, 2016 (Day 2)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"_Wake up_!" Misato shouted as she threatened to break down the door.

"Huh?" Shinji blinked as he rolled out of bed, "What is it, Misato?"

"We have to get to NERV by 0800, and you have to make breakfast!"

Shinji sighed as he got dressed.

When he entered the kitchen, he found Asuka half-asleep in her usual halter and jean-shorts, yawning as Misato was scrambling about, searching through mounds of papers while typing frantically on her laptop.

"Morning Shinji," Misato said hastily, "Just get me something to eat on the way, okay? I need to do a million things before I leave, and…"

"Right right," Shinji nodded, "Morning Asuka."

"Morning, Idiot," Asuka blinked sleepily.

_She's tired this morning_, Shinji sighed inwardly, _and I know why…_

"You want anything in particular, Asuka?" Shinji asked as he opened the cupboard.

Asuka's eyes narrowed, "Why? Are you trying to butter me up for something?"

"No, not at all," Shinji said quickly, "And besides, that never works anyways. I'm just…wondering."

"Hmph," Asuka considered him carefully, "Well, since you ask…waffles."

Shinji nodded. He had already guessed that, "Sure."

"But that'll take too long!" Misato fretted.

"With your driving?" Asuka asked pointedly. Misato just grumbled at that.

"So…how long will you be gone?" Shinji asked Misato.

"Umm…" Misato paused momentarily, "About two days, I think."

"Nice little vacation for you and Ryoji, eh?" Asuka said sardonically.

"Asuka, this is _not_ a vacation!" Misato snapped back, "This is an expedition to recover my father's research team that I was a part of nearly sixteen years ago!"

"Gee, someone's grouchy," Asuka snorted.

"I'm not the only one!" Misato countered.

Shinji sighed, "It's a little early in the morning for this." Both Misato and Asuka stared at him, slightly taken aback at his statement.

"Oh my," Asuka replied sarcastically after the initial shock, "is the Invincible Shinji actually growing a spine?"

"I dunno," Shinji shrugged as he stirred the batter, "Maybe after everything I've been through, I'm just not as afraid anymore."

Asuka stared owlishly at him, not sure what to say to that.

"Well…" Misato said as she sat down and regarded him, "good for you."

Sunday, January 04, 2016 (Day 2)

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan

"That's a load of complete _crap_!" Toji snarled as Shinji, Asuka and Misato approached the conference room.

"What is it?" Shinji asked as he waved at Rei, who was sitting.

"We have school tomorrow!" Toji raged.

"_What_!" Asuka gapped, "Why? I mean, what with everything that's happened…"

"That's why the government has issued the order," Rei spoke, "They, along with the rest of the world governments, want everything to return to normal as soon as possible. If no one performs their function, than society will collapse."

"I know, but…" Toji sighed, "But can't we be on break a _little_ longer?"

"Good morning," Fuyutsuki nodded as he entered, "I take it from the shouting you've all heard that 'normality' will be reimposed on society tomorrow."

"Something like that," Misato chuckled, "I'm gonna be in Antarctica."

Fuyutsuki frowned, "That may be slightly problematic."

"Huh?" Misato blinked, than started to growled, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you are both Shinji Ikari's and Asuka Soryu's guardian," Fuyutsuki raised a hand, "Admittedly, Commander Ikari _could_ sign for his son, but Asuka's foster parent would have to make a trans-continental flight in order to be here."

"Sign? Sign what?" Toji interrupted.

"Given all the influx of people that's happened, everyone has to reregister for nearly everything," Fuyutsuki explained, "Meaning that your guardian has to sign for you."

"Oh," Shinji and Asuka blinked.

"Well…" Misato drew in a breath, "We could have them emancipated."

"Huh?" Asuka straightened up.

"Well, Toji is emancipated," Misato waved at the Fourth Child, "and besides…not that it's anything against you guys, but I'd rather not be your guardian after I got married. It'd just be…"

"Weird," Shinji recoiled at the thought, "Really weird."

Asuka cringed and shuddered, but said nothing.

"So we might as well get it out of the now," Fuyutsuki nodded, "I think that would be acceptable. You will, of course, have to have the same agreement as Mr. Suzuhara."

"Agreement?" Asuka frowned.

"I have to stay in school and a social worker comes by every so often to check on Sakura," Toji informed them., "Course the second part won't apply to you two. You don't have any kids. Yet."

"Suzuhara, you _idiot_!" Asuka snapped savagely as her face turned Unit 02 red.

"Toji would you cut it out!" Shinji groaned as he saw Misato struggling to not roll onto the floor. He sighed, "Well I guess. I mean, not that much will change, right? We'll just sign for ourselves instead of having Misato do it for us, and that's all, right?"

"Essentially," Fuyutsuki nodded, "Of course, you will be _mostly_ an adult; you can't vote or drink until you are of age, legally, that is, but you will have all the other responsibilities as a full citizen of Japan."

"Yeah whatever," Asuka snorted.

"Is everyone here?" Commander Ikari asked briskly as he entered, followed by Aoba and Hyuga.

"We're waiting on Kaji…"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Ryoji Kaji huffed, carrying in a load of folders, "It's not my fault, well not entirely…but you really need to have maintenance have a look at Elevator-4."

"Noted," Gendo Ikari said flatly.

"Oh, and Dr. Akagi isn't here yet," Fuyutsuki finished.

"Doctor!" Maya Ibuki called down the Entry Plug of Eva-01, "Doctor, the meeting!"

"What?" Ritsuko Akagi frowned as she crawled up, "But it's not scheduled for a few more hours…"

"It's 0810, Ma'am," Maya told her superior.

"_What_?" she snapped and looked at her watch, "But…I _just_ started a little while ago!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Maya nodded, "but the Commander wants you in the conference room right now."

Ritsuko Akagi sighed heavily as she hauled herself out and onto the catwalk, "Right. Transfer all of my notes to the Magi."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Oh, and get me another few cups of coffee. I'm gonna need them…"

"Well Doctor," Commander Ikari said levelly as Akagi took her seat, "What is your analyze−"

"_I haven't had enough time_!" Akagi suddenly erupted before taking a long swig of her coffee.

"Doctor Akagi!" Fuyutsuki snapped.

"Oh, sorry," she sighed, "I'm just tired, okay? Anyways…from what I've seen the Evas are pretty much the same as the ones we built, with a few key differences."

"The S2 Engines," Major Katsuragi stated.

"That's one of them, yes," Akagi responded, slightly irritated, "But the one the really sticks out is…well, I've labeled them Elemental Engines. Each Eva has four of them. At least, I think so; I haven't had the chance to open up 02 and 03. They range in both size and complexity, and are directly connected with both the S2 Engines and the Eva's neural network."

"The special abilities…" Shinji breathed.

"Yes, and that's the only hint I have for what they do," Akagi groaned slightly as she emptied her cup, "Also, each of the Evas has some sort of…storage unit. At least, I think that's what it is. And again, this is based on my observations of 00 and 01."

"Storage for what?" Kaji frowned.

"Well…" Ritsuko rubbed her neck, "In Unit 00, I found some sort of…condensed liquid storage unit and in 01 I found… well basically a battery. I think."

"A…battery?" Commander Ikari said slowly.

"Well, 00 _is_ supposed to be the water element right? So that's self-explanatory. 01 is the wind element, and electricity _is_ associated with wind in many mythologies: Thunder and Lightning and all that. Plus also, there's something…odd that's attached to its base. I can no idea how it works, but it may be that that thing can manipulate the wind somehow, but I'm not sure either. I just need to find…"

"You're rambling Doctor," Misato smiled slightly.

"Oh screw you," she retorted.

Kaji was about to interject something into that when Shinji attempted to divert them, "What about syncing?"

Akagi frowned and scratched her temple, "I'm not sure. Before, you had to sync with the Eva because it had an independent will inside. But now…I'm not sure _exactly_ what you are syncing with, or even why, but the Evas have Sync-Meters in them, so it's important for…" Dr. Akagi broke off as she stared at the blank wall.

"Doctor?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Dr. Akagi?" Commander Ikari frowned.

"Doc?" Ryoji asked as he tossed a paper cup at her.

Akagi jumped when the cup hit her, "Hey!"

"Sorry, Doc," Ryoji grinned, "but you weren't here for a second."

"Well...anyways," Akagi shook herself, "I just realized that it if the Elemental Engines are tied into the neural net, than Sync may be necessary for controlling them. It's just a theory, but there's something there." She stood, "If there isn't a reason for me to stick around, I have to get back to work."

"Very well," Commander Ikari waved, "The rest of us have to discuss some of the basic changes in NERV due to SEELE's…absence, and also about the mission to Antarctica."

"Well that was…anticlimactic," Shinji snorted as they headed to the cafeteria. Fuyutsuki had made a call and a judge had come down to NERV emancipate them. The 'ceremony' had been a quick review by the judge, a few signatures and an agreement to stay in school through High School. After all that, they were free from the care of Misato Katsuragi and were recognized as adults. Sort of.

"Yeah," Asuka nodded, "Though I don't understand why I had to set through this morning so-called briefing. It had nothing to do with me!"

"Well I guess," Shinji shrugged, "Still we _are_ members of NERV. It is somewhat important that we know what's going on, especially now that NERV isn't being run by a secret organization that can manipulate most of the world's governments at a whim."

"Really?" she snorted sarcastically, "And what in that meeting did we learn that was so vitally important?"

Shinji opened his mouth, but Asuka interrupted him, "My point!" She took the lead as they continued towards the cafeteria.

Shinji sighed as he raced to keep up as he tried to think another topic. Asuka may have been behaving more civil than normal, but he still didn't understand why he was trying so hard to talk to her today.

_Yes you do._

Shinji sighed as he recalled vividly the scream he had heard in the dark hours this morning. Ever since his…pledge to do…something if he heard anything like that again, he had been doing some…reconsidering: Everything from abandoning the whole thing altogether to asking about it flat out. Right now he almost wished that she'd say something about it…

_Like that'll ever happen_, Shinji snorted to himself_, I've never seen Asuka shed a tear or talk about any problem except that she can't read kanji, and that was as an excuse._

"Hey guys," Misato huffed as she caught up with them, "My plane's leaving in an hour. I just wanted to say bye."

"Well, I hope you find your father," Shinji replied cheerily.

"Yeah, have fun Misato," Asuka added snippety.

Misato glanced at Asuka, "Just don't burn down the apartment or hurt Shinji, okay?"

"Why, Misato," Asuka grinned darkly, "don't you _trust me?"_

Misato grunted, "I've gotta go and meet up with Ryoji before we head to the airport. See ya."

As the two pilots watch her leave, Shinji noticed the scowl on Asuka's face, "You're still a little bitter, aren't you?"

"_What_?" Asuka whirled in surprise.

"About Mr. Kaji," Shinji swallowed, wondering if he had pushed his luck and her patience.

"Oh," she grunted as she turned away.

_Why me?_ Shinji wondered, _Now she's going to hate me for the rest of the day…_

"I guess I just got my hopes up," Asuka continued suddenly, "I mean, back in Germany, I thought we…"

She stopped and stared at him, "Why, exactly, am I telling you all this?"

"Umm…" Shinji thought quickly, "Because talking about your problems makes you feel better?"

Asuka slapped him hard as she stormed off, "Just leave me alone!"

Shinji sighed heavily as he headed for the cafeteria.

Rei wasn't quite sure why she was standing outside of Commander Ikari's office. _Something_ in her had managed to goad her here, what and why, she wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure if she would go through with this, which was a shock to conscious self; she had always been sure before.

_I must do this…Why can be figured out later._

_But how will he react?_

_…It doesn't matter at this point. If I don't attempt this, I will be…haunted. At least, I think I will._

She knocked.

"Enter," the gruff voice within commanded. She did.

"Ah, Rei," Gendo Ikari nodded as he poured over some papers, "I'm sorry, but I have another tele-conference with the UN shortly, so I cannot join you for lunch."

"That is alright," she nodded, "However, I can here for another reason."

"Oh?"

"I…" she readied herself for the plunge, "I have come to the conclusion that it would be mutually beneficial if I was emancipated as well."

The commander of NERV blinked, "Mutually beneficial? How so Rei?"

She tried to hide her agitation, "Given that I will be reregistering, and no doubt other thing that would normally require your presence will occur in the near future, I think that it would be more convenient if I was able to take care of them myself, seeing as how busy you have become recently."

"Ah," was all he said.

_Something is odd about her behavior_, Ikari noted as he studied her, _She is…restless, uptight about the situation. Why? What was the instigator of this behavior?_

Ikari continued to ponder her request, _She has a reason for this. But is it other than what she has stated? It's a possibility, but for what reason would she need autonomy? I may be paranoid, but I am not about to start suspecting Rei._

_Her request_ seems _harmless enough, and it_ would _be beneficial. If there's harm in it, I can't see it…_

"I don't see a problem with it," Ikari spoke finally, "I believe that Judge Sojiro was having lunch with Fuyutsuki. I'll have him come here, so we can take care it this before my meeting."

"Thank you, sir," she bowed.

"I would imagine that our…relationship will remain largely unchanged," Ikari said pointedly as he picked up the phone.

"I would imagine so, sir."

Misato glanced at Ryoji as they were being driven over to airport. He was staring out the window. Misato got the sense that he was tense about something, but what she couldn't put a finger on.

"Hey, you here?" she asked as she poked him.

"Huh?" he turned, "Oh. Ah, I'm just…thinking."

"Really? About what?" she smiled.

"Ah, well," he leaned back, "I _am_ on my way to rescue my future father-in-law from Antarctica. Most people would like to _ship_ their in-laws there…"

"Oh, very funny," she whacked him, "You'll got along fine with him, I swear. Probably better than I will."

"That's reassuring," he smiled, "So I'll be caught in the middle of a family feud with both sides competing for my support…"

"Oh shut up," she laughed, "Besides, you had _better_ be on _my_ side, _dear_!"

"Yes dear," he nodded in mock submission.

She sighed, "That's all?"

His cheer faded away as he turned to the window, "Well…not quite…"

"Well?" Misato asked, wondering why he seemed so concerned.

"Ah," he shook his head slowly, "It's…it's Asuka."

"Oh," she nodded, "You mean…that."

"Yeah. That," he glanced at her, "Any ideas? I mean…the poor girl has had a crush on me the size of Tokyo for years…and well, I haven't _exactly_ discouraged it."

Misato stared at him coldly, "Ryoji, she _just_ turned 15 last month!"

"I know, I know!" he sighed, "I _tried_ to do something when we were heading over here; you know, pointing out that the pilot of Eva-01 was a boy…and that she was a young girl…"

"I bet _that_ went over well," Misato rolled her eyes.

"Indeed. She apparently just took the fact that Shinji had done so well at that point without any real formal training as a challenge."

"And her…descent started when she couldn't quite match him."

"Yeah," he sighed again, "I don't know how rough things got after...well after I was shot, but…she really did try to commit suicide, didn't she?"

Misato nodded slowly, "Yeah. Shinji took it pretty hard. During the last bit, when Instrumentality was occurring, he was…well in shock. I mean, between Kaoru's treachery and Asuka's condition, it's not surprising, but…"

"I just hope the kid's new-found courage will help him get to Asuka before it's too late," Ryoji said as he leaned back.

"Yeah…" Misato said quietly.

Toji wandered into the table area of the cafeteria, looking for Shinji, or at least an empty table. He found neither. But he did see one familiar face; just not a friendly one.

"Heya, Devil Woman," Toji said as he plopped down across from Asuka.

"Leave me alone, Stooge," she growled darkly.

"Yeah, sure," he snorted, "Geez, you're grumpier than normal. And Shinji isn't around. What, you newlyweds fight again?"

Asuka snapped her head up, "We are not _newlyweds_!"

Toji blinked, "Oh my. Did I touch a nerve, pardon the pun."

"I don't know why I'm tolerating you," she snarled.

"Really? Oh well," Toji shrugged, "Maybe it's because you need someone to−"

"_I don't need anyone_!" Asuka thundered as she bolted up. Asuka turned and walked away from the table, leaving her half eaten burger. Toji blinked as the surrounding NERV personal glanced at him.

At last Toji shrugged, "Maybe it's her time of the month."

"Hopefully," one man nodded as he got up.

"Ah, man," Toji glanced at his watch, "I need to call Sakura before I forget."

"Cell phone don't work down here," a woman informed him as she pointed, "You'll have to use on the landlines on the wall over there."

"Thanks," Toji said as he torn a chunk out of his chicken and ran over to find a free phone.

Shinji sighed as he approached the cafeteria. He couldn't decide if he wanted to see Asuka in here or not.

_Just go, it's not like you have anything to lose._

_My life?_

_Too many witnesses. Hopefully._

Shinji was passing through the doors when Asuka met him there, seeming even more furious than before.

"Oh…hi…" he said stiffly.

"What?" Asuka demanded harshly, "Do you still think that I need to be babied? That I need someone to hear about all my problems?"

"What? I…" Shinji panicked.

"Oh just get out of my way you useless idiot!" she shoved him aside.

_Oh great_, Shinji thought as he struggled to maintain his balance, _Now she's really pissed. I don't think that my promise was a good idea. Maybe I should just leave her be._

_But you can't. You know what will happen eventually._

_No I don't_, he protested,_ I don't _know

_She's already tried once._

_But…_

_Someone has to do something. _

_But why me?_

_Because you're the only one who can understand._

_I…but I'm…afraid. What if she completely shuts me out?_

_You are afraid to lose what you don't have._

_She's…my friend._

_If she's your friend, than you should help her._

_I…_

'You mean that you only still do the cello because no one _told_ you to stop!' Asuka had thundered, 'How pathetic!'

_I…hope I can do this._

_I have to do this, for her._

"Bye, Sakura," Toji sighed, _She still had to bring up Hikari. Every time, it was Hikari._

_And I know why. Poor girl._

_Speaking of Hikari_, Toji started to dial again.

After a moment, "Hello, Horaki residence." It was Hikari, but she sounded…tired?

"Hey, Hikari! It's me, Toji."

"Oh hi," her voice perked up, "Where are you?"

"NERV," he answered, "I'm on a lunch break, so I decided to give Sakura a call and...well you, too."

"Ah," she said replied, "Just to check on me?"

"Well…I just wanted to know if…if you had heard anything about school tomorrow."

"Oh that," she paused for a moment as she grabbed something, "Umm…everything's normal. At least as far the schedule," she amended.

"Right," Toji frowned, "You feeling okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." she answered quickly.

"You sure?"

"Toji, my sisters will start to wonder…"

"Oh, right," Toji chuckled, "See you tomorrow."

Hikari Horaki hung the phone up as she stared at the notice on the table.

_Why? Why does this have to happen?_

_Man, I wish that Kodoma hadn't moved to America…_

_Oh come off it! She asked you point-blank if you could can things while she left to go to that American university and you said yes! So you had better handle it!_

Besides, _it will be fine_, she breathed deeply, _All you have to do is go to the office at school tomorrow and fill out the form and everything will be fine._

_But what if…it isn't approved?_

_You're the Class Rep! Of course they will! _And she repeated that to herself, trying to convince herself that that was true.

Dr. Akagi bolted upright suddenly, startling Maya Ibuki and nearing causing her to drop the cup of coffee she was bearing.

"D…Doctor?" the younger woman asked cautiously.

"I…guess I drifted off for a bit, didn't I?" Akagi said as she regained her composer.

"No one blames you Doctor," Maya assured her, "After all, you didn't get much sleep last night…"

"I didn't get any!" she snapped, "I was up all night working on the Evas!"

"Right…" Maya said as she put the cup down.

Akagi sighed, "Sorry Maya. I'm just stressed, that's all."

"Of course."

"What I need is another assistant, but I doubt Ikari will give me the time of day."

"You never know," Maya shrugged.

"Anyways, are the pilots ready?" she asked as glanced at her instruments.

"They're strapped in, if that's what you mean," Maya nodded.

"Alright, let's see what we got," Akagi stated as she punched a few buttons, than activated the comm, "All you kids comfortable?" Four vid screens activated to show the pilots in the Evas.

"Fine," Asuka huffed.

"I am acceptable," Rei said calmly.

"I'm okay," Shinji nodded.

"Me too," Toji grinned.

"Alright, we're going to be doing a run-thru of the Evas functions while we calibrate the sync-systems.

"Calibrate?" Shinji frowned.

"Yeah, we did it all the time before, remember?" Ritsuko snorted.

"You mean the sync tests?"

"Of course. Why do you think we did them? We had a constant readout of your syncs in battle, its not like we need to check them."

"Oh," Shinji blinked.

"Since this is a new system, it won't be accurately reporting, so don't worry about the readouts…too much…" she glanced at Asuka, who sharply looked away.

"Also, we're trying to identify how to activate the Elemental Engines, but we _don't_ want them going off, so whatever you do, through action or inaction…"

"Right, whatever," Asuka snorted, "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Commander Ikari glanced at the Secretary General of the U.N. Or rather, his projection, "I assure you, Mr. Pavlov, NERV is no longer under the control of anyone that is not present, and its objective are not anything other than what I have stated.

"I see," Pavlov nodded slowly, "So, you want us to believe that, based on the testimony of your _son_ that NERV's existence must continue due to the threat of _another_ alien force, known as _Demons_? Is that all correct?"

"Yes sir," Ikari nodded. This was much better than dealing with SEELE, he thought, "If you wish, I can bring him forward for testimony. And I will point out that he is the reason we are able to speak here and now, he is a capable pilot of Eva _and_," he stressed, "he is an emancipated minor."

"I see," Mr. Chan, the Chinese Representative spoke up, "So than, what is your relationship with your son?"

Ikari adjusted his glasses, "I don't see why that is relevant, but it is…merely that of Commander and Pilot. When my wife, Yui, died I felt that I wasn't able to properly care of the boy, so I gave up my rights as guardian. Now that he is a military officer, of a sort in any case, it wouldn't be appropriate of he was under the care of another."

"Ah ha," Chan nodded, "I can understand."

"So _all_ of the pilots are emancipated?" the German Rep, Mr. Steiner queried.

"Under Japanese law, yes," he said carefully, "Since Pilot Soryu is currently a dual citizen, of Japan and German, she isn't currently recognized as an adult in her other nation."

"Are you suggesting that that be changed?" he asked pointedly.

"That is up to your government, but given her circumstances, being an adult here and being an officer in an international military organization, I think that it should be considered."

"On another topic," the American Rep, Mr. Sanders, "I was curious as to your statement during our…emergency session about the Angels. Could you clarify?"

"Of course," Fuyutsuki nodded, "According to…Adam and Lilith, the two Angels whom the pilots spoke to, the Demons will be watchful for 'Angel Interference' in our development. Obviously, we have had some; however we must hide this from them."

"Why, exactly?" Pavlov inquired.

"Because," Ikari answered, "the Demons are coming, reportedly, to enslave our race. If, however they discover that Angel have been here to help us, than they will simply destroy us."

"You make it sound a rather simple thing," Chan frowned.

"I do not know how they would, but I believe that the difference is that to enslave you have to come down and conquer, and just conflagrate everything in your path. To destroy us, they could simply start dropping bombs, or even asteroids from out own Asteroid Belt."

"Point taken," Sanders nodded, "However, if we are successful in this, and in repelling their attacks, how do we not know that they will send more ships, or simply destroy us out of spite?"

Ikari folded his hands, "I do not. I can only ask you to help us give humanity a fighting chance, and hope that a solution will present itself.

"Well, I suppose we're done for the day," Dr. Akagi said as she collapsed into her chair.

"Finally!" Asuka snapped, "We've been in here for nearly four hours!"

"Yes well, we had to do all of this, because I need the data so I can finish the calibration for the sync test tomorrow."

"T−Tomorrow?" Asuka stammered.

"Yes, after school you'll be back here for your first sync test. Well, for these Evas anyway," Ritsuko told her.

"Great. More time in the tube," Toji complained.

As pilots signed off and began to exit the tubes, Ritsuko sat back and sighed.

_It's entirely possible that Asuka's sync ratio will be up enough after the calibration to be able to access the Elemental Engines, well at least one of them_, she told herself.

According to her calculations and theories, the needed level to access the first level Engine was 70. Easy enough for Shinji and Rei, and probably even Toji, this being the first time she had examined him in an Eva.

But Asuka was a different story. According to the records, her sync rate had sky-rocketed while she had been fighting Eva-05 through -12. Why, she didn't know, but for some reason it wasn't carrying…_Wait!_ _It's completely possible that she figured out that her mother had been the soul in her Eva!_ she told herself.

_Like that does me any good_, she responded to her enthusiasm, _The Evas don't have their old souls, so she's back in her regular depression. How she's going to get out that, I don't know._

_Hell, I don't even know_ what they _are syncing with! It can't be the Evas…can it? Before they had to sync with the soul in the Eva in order to interface with it, but now what do they have to interface with? What is the controller?_

"Doctor?" Maya Ibuki entered the room, "Are you going to be heading out for dinner?"

"No," she sighed, "Can you get me something while I go over some the data before I go and start my inspections?"

"Of course," she nodded.


	7. Chapter 07: Courage of the Heart

Chapter 07: Courage of the Heart

Sunday, January 04, 2016 (Day 2)

NERV Aircraft S-303, Pacific Ocean (Destination: Sydney, Australia)

Misato grimaced as her back's irritation grew. They hadn't been on the plane for terribly long, but it was already getting to her.

"Problem?" Ryoji Kaji, former spy, NERV Special Operations Officer, perpetual flirt, her former and current lover, and fiance asked.

"My back hurts," she said sourly.

"Well, I'd offer to his you a back rub, but we're due in Sydney in about 20 minutes," he smiled devilishly, "But I'm certain that we be able to find some time to make you feel better."

"You never will change, will you?" Misato sighed heavily as she fought her own smile.

"Come on!" he laughed, "Would you sincerely want me to?"

"Well…" she tapped her chin as she considered him carefully, "You _could_ stand to shave more often. I mean, we _do_ work of an international military institution that's charged with the defense of Earth from interstellar beings that want to enslave or slaughter us."

"Your point?"

"And you could stop being so evasive, irresponsible and flirtatious."

"But," he mock pleaded, "Than want would I be?"

Misato smiled, "Dunno. Probably kinda boring. Reliable, trustworthy, and honest, but boring."

"And we can't have that, now can we?" he smiled.

"No, not hardly," she sighed.

He frowned as he noticed her attention drift, "What is it?"

"Everything," she sighed, "These Demons, seeing my father again, Shinji, _Asuka_," he stared at him before sighing again, "and you."

"Me?"

"Well," she clarified, "Us. Marriage, you know?"

"Ah," he nodded, "You…unsure?"

"No…and yes," she rubbed her neck, "I mean, I know about us. We've…been us for a long time…It's just…well, I just can't imagine what we're going to do after, that's all."

"After?" he frowned.

"Well," she rubbed her finger in a circle on the armrest, "I mean…what about…kids?"

"Ah," he nodded, "And so the topic is finally broached."

"Yeah…"

"Well…do you?"

"Huh?" she looked up.

"Do you want to have kids?" he raised his hands, "I mean…you're the one that'll be carrying them."

"Well, it's not just that!" she retorted, "Our entire lives will be turned upside down!"

"True," he nodded.

"But…" she faltered.

"I would assume you would retire from NERV," he said patiently.

"I…" she looked out the window, "I…Yeah, I would."

"But you don't want to leave your current kids stranded," he asserted.

"My…" she shook her head, "They aren't mine anymore. They're emancipated."

"Really? So that means that you're looking for your _former_ father?

She clicked her tongue, "Touche."

"They'll always be something to you," he told her, "and that's fine. Those two may have had a rough life, and they aren't even through with adolescence, but they're tough kids. They've had the responsibility of protecting all life on the planet and always come through, even the direst of times. They've _become_ adults, Misato; long before they should have been and they haven't cracked…well, not too much anyways. I'm a little concerned about Asuka, but Shinji seems to have his head square."

"I don't know…" Misato sighed, "Shinji's…well…It was just a few days ago when I had to drag him to the Eva in order to get him out of harm's way because he just stopped caring."

Ryoji shrugged, "You've got to admit, with all that you've told me what was there left for him to care about?"

"Well…I guess," she shrugged, than chuckled.

"What?" he frowned.

"I was just thinking that it's so…appropriate that his element is wind, I guess."

"How so?"

She leaned back, "The wind is most fickle of all elements. It can be soft, weak and uneffective. But it is also the strongest, most destructive force of nature on the planet."

Ryoji nodded, "Indeed."

"Something happened to him during Third Impact," she asserted, "Something that made him realize the value of living, truly living. I just hope that he shares the secret with Asuka before too long."

Sunday, January 04, 2016 (Day 2)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji tried not to think about what he had sworn to himself, the reasons for it, or what he would do as he made dinner. Predictably, Asuka was in a foul mood during the trip home, occasionally glaring at him as if whatever was tumbling through her mind was his fault. Once it looked like she was about to say something, but she just turned away at the last minute.

He sighed as he took the bowl of steaming rice and plate of sliced chicken over to the table, and than went over to her room. When they had gotten home she had simply made for her room, and slammed the door closed, making no noise since.

He cautiously tapped on the door, "Asuka? Dinner's ready."

After a moment, the door slid open, with Asuka leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed. Neither one of the moving for what seemed an eternity, when Shinji gulped, "The food's…getting cold."

Asuka grunted as she shouldered back him, "Fine." Shinji sighed as he followed.

Shinji ate slowly as he attempted to figure out why she was so pissed off, Was it because of Misato and Ryoji, and I just happen to be handy? Or is she pissed because I happened to get to her talk about it, even if it was just for a moment…

Suddenly, Asuka slammed her fist on the table, tearing Shinji out of his musings. He swallowed as he glared at him from across the table.

"Shinji?" she asked harshly.

"Umm…yes?"

She looked away, as if reconsidering what she was about to do, but than looked back, "Do you think that I have a problem?"

"A…p−problem?" he asked nervously, Oh crap, what do I do now?

"Yes," she said calmly, with eyes that belied that calm, "Do you think that I have a…problem?"

Shinji sighed as he prepared himself, "Well…everyone has problems, Asuka…"

"Exactly," she nodded emphatically, "Everyone does; so I'm no exception, right?"

"Well…" Shinji said hesitantly, "Right…"

"So than what's the…"

"But…"

"…big deal?" she stopped and looked at him, "But what?"

I'm going to die…, "But…just because everyone has problems doesn't been that you can get away with no dealing with them."

Asuka bolted upright, "Are you saying that I'm not dealing with my problem!"

"Well…" he gulped and nodded, "Yeah…"

"And what do you know!" she yelled, "You don't know_ anything_ about me! _If_ I have a problem, I'll deal with it my own with _without_ your pathetic help, Idiot!" She stormed off to her room and slammed the door shut.

"Great…" he sighed.

"WARK!" Pen-Pen dropped his food bowl.

"Oh sure," Shinji snorted sarcastically, "Come in _after_ I'm nearly fragged."

"Wark, wark."

"Whatever," he got up, "Okay, I'll feed you."

"Wark."

Asuka dropped herself onto the bed as she snarled at how stupid Shinji was. She had simply wanted his opinion on if he thought she was dealing with some difficulty. It wasn't as if she were inviting him to comment on it!

_I shouldn't have even asked! _she snapped at herself, _That idiot just doesn't understand! I may, _may_, have a small problem, but I don't let it hinder me! So what if I have nightmares sometimes, it's not like I'm the only one! _

_And than he goes on and blabs about how I have to_ deal _with it! That jerk!_ she growled, _Why doesn't he deal with his problems than! He's got a lot more than I do, that's for sure! Why I asked him, I'll never understand! If all the people who I might of asked, why did I ask him? Arrg, it doesn't make sense! I had _no_ reason to ask that twerp! None! So than why?_

_Because you want his help._

_I don't want his help_! _I don't need him, or anyone else!_ _I'm fine all be my self! I don't need anyone for anything! Not Misato, the doll or the stooge, not that bastard Kaji and most certainly not that whinny, perverted idiot Shinji!_

_You're lying._

_I am not! I don't need them! I'm better than them! I worked harder, learned more, endured more than any of them! I am the best! I have to be! _

_You aren't._

_I _should_ be! Damn that Shinji! That pathetic idiot can't be better than me! I tested higher, I worked more, I _was_ better!_

_But you aren't._

Asuka rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, _Why? Why am I so pathetic? I've done all the right things haven't I? What am I missing? Where did I go wrong?_

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-00:05)

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan

Dr. Akagi sighed as she ran through the diagnostics again.

"Ma'am?" Maya glanced over at her.

"Yes?" she answered while restraining a yawn.

"Ma'am, it's midnight. I think we should turn in. I'm going to head home and I think you should too."

"I don't have time…" she started, but was stopped by a yawn.

"Why not, Ma'am?" Maya asked, "I mean, sure we have less than thirty days until the Demons arrive, but we aren't _that_ pressed for time, are we?"

"That's not reason," Dr. Akagi told her, "The reason is, is that we have to learn as much as possible, so we can ship the data around so it _looks_ like we made the Evas. If it appears that they just blinked into existence…"

"Than our 'cover' is blown," Maya realized, "I understand."

"That," Ritsuko rubbed her neck, "and we want to begin production as soon possible."

"Production?"

"We have no idea how long the Demons will be here, or if we'll lose an Eva, or what," the older woman sighed, "As soon as we can get all of the data in, Eva Series 2 production will begin."

"Oh."

"Oh, and," Akagi smiled, "if my suspicions are correct, we won't need any of the other children. Being born in right after the Second Impact won't be a requirement."

Lieutenant Ibuki nodded as she stood, "Well…I'll see you in the morning."

"Oh, could you…"

"…Feed your cats? Of course, Ma'am."

"Thanks, Maya."

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-01:55)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji couldn't sleep. He sighed as he lay in bed, pondering the possibilities. Part of him was still apprehensive about 'doing something' about Asuka. He was afraid that if he took things too far, it would jeopardize their current…relationship.

On the other hand, if he didn't do anything, it would eat at him as surly as whatever it was, it was eating away at her. He knew that something was wrong, but not what.

_Idiot_, he snapped at himself, _how can you help if don't know what you're dealing with?_

_I can try_, another part of him argued.

_Try? If you try something and it doesn't work, you'll just make it worse!_

_But I have to…_

_You don't! This isn't your concern! She _specifically_ said that she didn't want your help._

_She _needs_ it!_ _Can't you see that!_

_Prove it_, the part of him snorted.

As if to answer, a panicked voice suddenly screamed, nearly jolting him onto the floor.

Asuka breathed heavily as she wiped cold perspiration from her forehead, trying not to pant.

"Why…me?" she asked softly to no one in particular, "Why…what did I do…wrong?"

_It's not fair! Why is this happening to me? I'm better than them, so why is my sync…why am I…_

An afterimage of her nightmare flashed before her eyes, one of her father towering over as she sat in the hospital, a few hours after her mother had…died. It was the last time that she had seen him in real-life. His expression was one of contempt, "You're old enough, Asuka. You don't need me to hold your hand."

"But, Vatter!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop your incessant whining!" he snapped, "And stop crying! There's nothing good about crying! So just stop!"

Little Asuka bit her lip, "But…"

"No buts! Crying is for the young and the weak! If you want to remember your mother, than don't be weak and stop being a whining little girl that can't do anything without being helped!"

Asuka sat on her bed staring at the wall that separated her from Shinji, "I'm not weak. I don't need your help."

Shinji felt as if his mind was being torn in two as he half-sat on his, paralyzed between action and inaction. It was as if he had been cleanly sliced from head to torso, and each side had half of the body to control, but could move without cooperation.

_She needs help!_

_She doesn't want it!_

_I don't care!_

_You should respect her wishes!_

Shinji gritted his teeth as he tried to find something, _anything_ that could help him decide. A reason, a rule, anything.

He sighed as he sat there, helplessly caught in his web of wants and needs, being torn between two ideas that both seems right. How could he decide…

'You mean that you only still do the cello because no one _told_ you to stop!' Asuka had thundered, 'How pathetic!'

He hadn't been able to bring himself to stop because he had been afraid that someone would notice and get angry with him; after all, no one had granted him permission to stop. But…

_But I am … different now, I think._

_So make a choice!_ both sides of his mind demanded.

Shinji gulped as he stared at the wall and than the door.

"I choose…"

Asuka grunted as she collapsed back on her bed, Just leave me alone, she pleaded, I just want to rest…

_No problem ever went away on its own._

_I don't have a problem!_

_Than why did you talk to Shinji about it?_

_That was a mistake!_

_But it was still something you did. He's right: Just because everyone has problems doesn't been that you can get away with no dealing with them._

_I don't need this! I don't need the advice of a spineless twerp that can't do anything with being told to!_

_But you want it._

Without warning, something rapped on her door, "Asuka? You awake?"

Shinji, she snarled as she forced the other voice away.

"What do you want, idiot?" she snapped viciously.

Shinji seemed to hesitant like always, but replied in a stronger tone that she expected with a question she didn't want to hear, "Are you alright?"

Asuka tightened her grip on the blanket as she snarled, "What do you think? Just leave me alone!"

Shinji paused, but than replied, "I heard you scream."

She cursed in both Japanese and German as she thought quickly, "It was just a stupid dream, you idiot! Go away before I decide to get angry!"

"Did you scream last night because of dream, too?" he asked slowly.

Asuka paled when she heard that, He knows…

He doesn't! He's just poking around! Make him leave _now_!

"Just go away you prevent!" she yelled, mustering as much bravado as possible.

"Asuka, I just want to know if you're alright."

Asuka's grip tightened further as her thoughts cast about, attempting to find a solution.

But I _am_ alright! Aren't I?

Than just _say_ it! Make him leave!

She was about to yell again, when Shinji spoke, "Asuka, I'm coming in."

Shinji gritted his teeth as he prepared himself, and slowly opened the door.

"_Shinji you pervert_!" Asuka screamed as she yanked the blankets up.

"Sorry!" Shinji apologized, "But…"

"Can't you just leave me _alone_!" she snarled.

Shinji took a breath, "Asuka, I'm just concerned…"

"_I don't care_!" she snapped as she suddenly jumped out of bed, revealing that she was still dressed in her halter and shorts, "_LEAVE_!"

Shinji's determination collapsed at that. Instinct demanded that he yield and turn away. As he found himself beginning to back away to leave, part of him laughed at him: "You thought that you could do it, didn't you? You that that you could break through the impenetrable defenses of Asuka, didn't you? What a fool you are!"

Shinji felt the bitterness well up as he looked at Asuka, glaring furiously at him as he slowly began to move away. There she was, angry, fiery, and smug as always and…Shinji's mind froze in an instant, as he saw something else in Asuka's sapphire eyes: Relief. But…

"_Don't_−" she had screamed. Shinji's mind churned as he attempted to realize what was going on. But one thing was certain: He had to do something.

Asuka watched as he started to turn, _What a pathetic worm. A little scolding and he turns tail. I can't believe that this is the Invincible Shinji, Defender of Humanity! What a complete and utter wuss! _

_It's not like you wanted him to stay…_

_Shut up! I don't care, I just want him gone…What!_

Shinji had stopped moving away and instead was looking at her strangely, in almost compassionate manner.

Asuka voice dripped with contempt, "Aren't you leaving?"

"What are you afraid of?" Shinji asked softly.

First the first time in their conflict, Asuka's shock fully registered on her face, "A−Afraid?"

"Yes," he nodded balefully, "You're afraid of something. What?"

"It's…It's _none_ of your damn business!" she snapped, reasserting herself, "So just leave me alone!"

"Asuka, I just want to…"

"I don't _need_ your help!" she snarled as she pointed at the door emphatically, "Now leave!"

"Asuka," Shinji gritted his teeth again, "You…I think you need help."

"Help?" she asked incredulously, "Why on _earth_ would I need help from the likes of you?"

"Asuka−" Shinji started when she cut him off.

"_Just shut up_!" she roared, "Just shut up and _leave_ you cowardly idiotic pervert!"

Shinji seemed to waver, but this time he didn't falter, "You seem to be getting desperate."

_Am I?_ she thought nervously as she felt herself beginning to come apart. She could feel her mental barriers starting to come down. She couldn't let that happen; she was stronger than this, stronger than all of them! She _couldn't_ break down now.

_He has to go, _now

Asuka moved forward and grabbed Shinji by the collar and yanked him closer, "Listen you little pervert, I want to be left alone! So leave!"

After a moment, Shinji managed to get his mouth working, "Asuka…"

She slapped him. Really hard, "_I told you leave me alone_!" She screamed, rage pouring out her eyes as she pushed him away, "_Just leave_!"

He grimaced as he rubbed his neck and looked at her balefully, "Why…why don't you want help?"

I did it! she congratulated herself as she snorted, "I don't need any help! I'm strong, stronger than you! I don't have to rely on weaklings for support!"

Shinji looked at her carefully before speaking, "You're lying."

Asuka felt herself fracture as she involuntarily stepped back, "W−What?"

"Asuka, no one can stand on their own," he said softly, "Not even you."

"You're wrong!" she protested vehemently, "I'm strong enough! Stronger than you or anyone else! I'm strong…"

"Yes you are," Shinji agreed, "You are the strongest person I know. But you still aren't strong enough to live like that."

"Shows what you know!" she sneered, or rather, tried to. She was nervous, trembling.

_I'm strong enough,_ she told herself, _I am strong enough!_

"Than why are you shaking?" he asked gently.

Asuka stepped back again, "Just…Just go away! I don't need your help. I can only rely on me, and no one else!"

And than, like lightning from heaven, Shinji got it, "You're afraid of being left alone. Of being left alone when you need someone."

"**_No_**!" she screamed, "That's not true!" She stepped back again, until her back was against the wall.

"Asuka," he looked at her compassionately and extended his hand, "Please. Let me help you."

"I don't want your help!" she screamed again, "Just leave me alone!"

"Do you really want to be alone?" he asked solemnly.

"_Leave_!" she screamed desperately.

"Do you?" he asked softly.

_Say yes! Say it!_

_Yes, I do! _

_Yes, I do!_

_Yes, I do!_

_Yes!_

_Yes!_

_Yes!_

_…No._

"No," she whispered.

No…I'm…I'm going…

'Crying is for the young and the weak!' her father snapped.

Crying…is for the weak.

"I mustn't cry," she whimpered as she turned to the wall, shrinking against it.

"I mustn't cry. I mustn't cry. I…" she froze as a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Asuka…it's okay. It's okay to cry when you have to."

She felt herself tear up, "No. No it isn't."

"Sometimes we have to bear our pain," he told her, "because we can't grieve at the moment. But that doesn't mean that we should never grieve. It's not good if we never grieve. If we don't, we can never move on."

"But…" she choked, "But I…I can't…"

"Asuka," he said soothingly, "It's alright."

"_No_!" she sobbed, "I can't…can't trust…"

Shinji swallowed, She's afraid to trust.

Asuka choked again, "I can't…depend on anyone…They'll…They'll leave me! Like mother…"

Shinji girded himself, "I…I promise not to, Asuka. I promise to stay."

Asuka slowly turned to face him, biting her lip in an attempt to control herself, "Wh..What?"

"I promise," he said resolutely, "to never leave you, until you want me to."

"You…" she trembled, "You idiot!"

He smiled, "May be. But I won't leave you."

Asuka was shaking as her mind seemed to shatter, each piece with a voice:

_He's lying!_

_He can't promise that!_

_He'll let you down!_

But a part of her was losing control. Her mental barriers that had been in place ever since that horrible day were coming down.

_I can't lose control!_

_I can't cry._

_I mustn't cry!_

_I _mustn't_ cry!_

'…I promise…'

"Shinji…" she whispered as she stood there, unable to move.

He smiled kindly, "I'm here."

"_Shinji_!" she cried as she jumped and embraced him, the dam in her eyes and heart collapsing, and for the first time in years, tears streams down her face.

And there they stood, Asuka sobbing and heaving on Shinji's shoulder for a time.


	8. Chapter 08: Acting Out of Character

Chapter 08: Acting Out of Character

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-07:01)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji Ikari groaned as the alarm blared. His head had a dull ache that was only accentuated by the constant beeping coming from the offensive device, plus he felt as if a 50 kilo weight had been dropped on him. He groaned again as he twisted to hit the alarm so he could sleep a little longer. Or rather, he attempted.

He faced two rather peculiar obstacles to this goal: One being that the alarm wasn't where it should have been. The second was that his body was pinned.

"Huh?" he blinked as he lifted his head, finding something that left the peculiar department and entered the paranormal: A mass of unkempt, silky crimson.

_Oh crap. _

At that moment, Shinji Ikari, age 14, knew that he was going to die. It didn't matter that he was fairly certain that they were still…innocent, if Asuka woke up in bed with him…

_Oh,_ he thought as memories flooded his awaking mind. He settled down as the sheer impact of the events that had happened mere hours ago coursed through his mind.

_She…she had cried. She had fallen asleep on me, crying._

Shinji sighed as he recalled one of last night's most prominent events: I promise…I promise to always be there.

He smiled as he instinctively moved to brush a few strands away from her face, _I don't regret anything._

And than the alarm's constant blared awoke its proper owner.

Asuka felt odd. As she fought off the last weights of slumber she pondered what that feeling was.

She groaned as she shifted her weight, _It's like I'm on something. Like a big pillow, or a…a body!_

Her eyes snapped open as she found herself face-to-face with her roommate.

Neither moved for a moment, unable to truly grasp the situation nor knowing what to do about it.

"Umm, morning?" Shinji finally gulped as he smiled warily.

"**_EEEEKKKKKK_**!" Asuka shrieked as she flung herself off of him.

"Asuka, I can explain…" Shinji pleaded as he beheld her awaken rage.

"_Oh I'm sure you can_!" she bellowed savagely, "_Why in blazes are you in my_−" She suddenly stopped as her face transformed from one of fury to one of shock. She turned away, her face starting to burn as she hugged herself, trembling slightly.

_It had to be a dream! It couldn't have been real. Could it?_

_When was the last time that I had a dream that didn't scare me? Or for that matter, one that left me…happy?_

_Am I happy? Happy that I broke down and cried on Shinji's shoulder all night?_

_…Maybe…I am…_

After a moment she turned back to him, her eyes cast downward, "Last night…it…wasn't a dream, was it? It really happened, didn't it?"

Shinji didn't really didn't know what to say to that. Was she asking that it be forgotten? Or did she just not trust her own memory?

He girded himself, "Yeah. Yeah it did."

She nodded as she turned again, her face full of disappointment, "I'm pathetic."

"No!" he said firmly, moving over to her, "Asuka how can you say that?"

"Oh, shut up!" she bit out, her eyes threatening to burst again, "I am, alright!"

He sighed, "Asuka…what happened last night…did it help you?"

She stared at her feet, not wanting to answer, but replying anyways, "It…yes…"

"Than why are you pathetic for helping yourself?"

"Because!" she snapped, "I shouldn't have…"

"What?" he sighed wearily, "You shouldn't have _needed_ any help? Everyone needs help, at one time or another, Asuka. We're human, not anything else, and humans need help from one another."

"But…"

"Asuka," he placed a hand on her shoulder, "would you take it back if you could? Have me not come in here and…force the issue?"

Asuka clenched her jaw as her eyes cast about, as if to find an escape before she answered in a whisper, "No."

Shinji gently lifted her head up and stared into her eyes, "Than stop this. You shouldn't have any regrets if you are better because of it. I don't."

She swallowed hard, "You mean…"

He nodded as he pulled her close, "I'll stay with you for as long as you need me. I promise."

She wrapped her arms around him, "Shinji, I…thank you."

He chuckled, "Not a problem. Now, I think we should turn off that alarm and get ready for school."

"Crap!" she jumped away and ran over to her dresser, "I hope my uniform is clean−" She stopped as she was about to start changing, "Ahem!"

"Oh, sorry," he blushed as he headed out, "I'll go and…get ready and make breakfast."

She nodded, "Good."

As he exited the room, Asuka suddenly felt cold, _What if…what if he…_

_…What? Just disappears out of the blue? That's silly…_

_But…_

Asuka cleared her throat, "Umm…Shinji?"

Shinji's voice replied, muffled by the wall, "Yes, Asuka?"

She breathed a sigh of relieve as she quickly thought of something, "Umm…could you make some waffles for me?"

She could hear the knowing smile in his voice, "Sure, Asuka. I can."

She nodded, somehow knowing that he would know that she was grateful for the reassurance.

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-07:16)

Horaki Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Now get going!" Hikari urged her younger siblings out the door, "And remember to tell your instructors that I'll be by after school to sign the registration papers, okay?"

"Yes, Hikari," they droned in unison.

"Good," she smiled wearily, "Now go!"

She heaved a sigh as they closed the door behind them and she prepared to head out herself, _I am _not_ going to enjoy this._

_You have to do this_, another part of her scolded her, _Putting it off won't help anything. At least you're going without Midori and Ayumi._

She nodded to herself and she collected her bag and snagged the white envelope off of the counter. She made sure all the lights were off and facets closed and than headed out the door. She walking briskly down the stairs and made her way to the main office of her building.

_Maybe he'll be gone_, she thought, _Maybe he'll be out working on someone's plumbing or electrical. Maybe he'll be out for breakfast still. Maybe…_

As she entered the office, she found that was not the case. Mr. Mitsuda was there, sitting behind the main desk as usual. And as usual, he was 'reading' a 'magazine'.

She grunted softly as she made her way in, "Umm, Mr. Mitsuda?"

He looked up and smiled benevolently, "Ah, Ms. Horaki. This week's payment?"

"Yes sir," she nodded as she offered the envelope.

"I hope that you got the notice about the increase in rent and adjusted your check accordingly," he said pointedly as he took the envelope.

"Yes sir," she nodded slowly.

"I wonder," he said slowly as he glanced at the contents of the envelope, "with your fixed income, how long will you be able to pay this new rent. I'm sorry that I had to increase, but with the massive influx of people coming to Toyko-3 with all that has happened…"

"I understand," she said curtly as she started to leave.

"You know," he stood and smiled, "I sure that…certain arrangements could be made…"

"That won't be necessary," she tried not to hiss, "I'll…be getting a job."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "Do you have permission?"

"I'll be getting it," she said confidently.

"Well," he sat, "Good luck."

"Thank you," she grunted as she left in a hurry.

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-07:48)

First Municipal Junior High, Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke Aida groaned in annoyance, "Yes, I know _all_ about school policy and regulation, I was a student here prior."

"I understand that," the attendant nodded, "But this is my job."

Sucks to be you he said with his eyes as he signed the last form.

"Thank you, Mr. Aida. I hope the best for you in the rest of the school year."

"Thanks," he groaned as he waded his way to the 2-A classroom. He found Toji was sitting on his desk, staring out the window when he entered.

"Hey," he said as he rushed over, "what's the latest?"

"Huh?" Toji looked at him strangely.

"You know," he said in a hushed, but excited tone, "the Evas!"

Toji looked around the classroom. About half of the students were present, Rei was sitting in her normal chair, Asuka and Shinji had been in line when he had finished, and Hikari…"

"Huh, the class rep isn't here yet," he grunted.

"Oh, disappointed your girlfriend ain't here yet?" Kensuke smiled mischievously.

"Pal," he glared, "You've got a death wish."

"Yeah, whatever," Kensuke smiled, "So what's new?"

Toji rolled his eyes, "We've got a sync test later today."

"That doesn't tell me anything!" he complained, "What's going to happen to NERV? What about…" he stopped and looked around again, "What about the…Demons?"

Toji looked at him, "I dunno. So far, the only thing we've done is have meetings and a calibration with the Evas. Oh, and Mis…I mean Major Katsuragi has gone to Antarctica to find her father, Dr. Katsuragi."

"Okay…" Kensuke nodded slowly, "And that's it? Nothing else?"

"Nope, no really," Toji shrugged, "Expect that Asuka and Shinji are emancipated."

"I am as well," Rei noted quietly, causing the two boys to jolt.

"Oh, Rei…" Toji smiled nervously, "I…hadn't heard."

"Understandable," she nodded.

"Umm…Any particular reason why?" Kensuke asked, to which Toji stared at him.

"I…found that it would be more convenient if I was," Rei said after consideration.

"Ah," Kensuke grinned, "Yeah it sure is."

"I wonder if Asuka'll move out now," Toji pondered, "Or Shinji for that matter."

"Yeah, if anything, he'd get away from that demoness," the other agreed.

"I doubt that that will be possible," Rei told them.

"Huh?" they blinked.

"The amount of available housing in the city has, despite the amount of time since the Rebirth, depleted considerable."

"Oh?" Kensuke cocked his head, "How do you know that?"

"I…heard," she said, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable. The two 'stooges' looked at each other. Rei…nervous?

Just than, Shinji and Asuka entered the classroom. They headed for there seats, and apparently in humorous spirits: "Can you believe those bureaucrats?" Asuka laughed, "They act as if we were just entering Junior High!"

"No kidding," Shinji chuckled, "I thought that one guy was gonna blow when you told him 'Hand over the damn paper or I'll promote your bowels to the head position'!"

"Ah, it was an idle threat," Asuka assured him, "I would have just hung him by his intestines."

"Good grief," he sighed.

"I can't believe it," Toji whispered.

"Yeah, the demoness is _joking_ with him!"

"What?" Asuka whirled around to them, "I can't joke around with Shinji?"

"She used his name!" Kensuke nearly fainted.

"Oh boy," Shinji rolled his eyes.

"Problem, Mr. Aida?" Hikari walked over, "You aren't ill, are you?"

"Ah, no…maybe just delusional," he looked at Asuka nervously.

Asuka snorted, "What? Just because I was being friendly with Shinji means the world is about end?"

"Now Asuka," Shinji laughed, "Give them a break. They just aren't use to it."

She shrugged, "Yeah sure."

Toji and Kensuke hurriedly took their seats, attempting not to panic. Shinji had talked to like that, and she shrugged it off! What was the world coming to! What on earth could have happened to make this happen!

"Asuka?" Hikari looked at her, "You seem…different."

The German girl looked away, "Really? I wouldn't really know."

Hikari frowned as she headed to her seat, _That's really weird. I know that Asuka's not nearly as unkind as Toji and Kensuke think, but she _isn't_ that…that easy going either. What ever happened, she doesn't want to talk about it._

The teacher entered, and Hikari gave the usual 'Rise, Bow, Sit!' commands as the teacher nodded at them, "Good morning, class." He sat down and began to pull several piles of paper out of his bookbag, "I have some important news…some fortunate and some unfortunate."

He handed the papers to Hikari, who began to distribute them, "By the government's instruction, we are to resume class as if the…Rebirth as it call, had not happened. This means that normal class schedule is to resume along with all assignment due dates." The class gave a uniformal groan at that.

The teacher, Mr. Uchida smiled, "Fortunately, I've decided to delay all assignments by one week. That I can do…" The class clapped and a few verbally thanked him.

"However," he sighed, "I can't delay any tests date that are to be administered."

"Oh crap," Kensuke breathed.

Mr. Uchida looked across the class, "I'm sure that you all are aware that we will be having a physics pre-exam tomorrow."

"Umm, sir," Toji raised his hand, "I was in the hospital…"

The teacher sighed, "Yes I know, and so was Ms. Ayanami, I believe, and Ms. Soryu. Mr. Ikari was also absent, though not for medical reasons…Unfortunately, I can't do much about it now because you _aren't_ hospitalized anymore," He looked at him wryly, "You've just have to study hard tonight; a study partner wouldn't be a bad idea either."

Toji was about to turn to Kensuke, when another voice spoke up: "I can help him," Hikari nodded, "Its part of my responsibility as Class Rep to look after the class grade."

Mr. Uchida nodded, "Very well. Anyways, we need to start class."

"Rise, Bow, Sit!" Hikari called as the teacher left for lunch.

Toji sighed as he went over to her, "Umm…thanks Hikari…"

"No problem," she nodded, "You had just better we ready to learn!"

"Yes ma'am!" he snapped to attention, than followed her out the door.

Shinji chuckled as Asuka poked him, "I guess I get to explain physics to you again, huh?"

"Umm, sure…" he nodded, "I guess I just have to explain Kanji to you than?"

She smiled as they left, "You got it."

_I just don't get it_, Kensuke stared at them, "When did _this_ happen."

"I am unsure as well," Rei commented, causing him to jump.

"Oh, Rei…I…didn't see you there…" he chuckled nervously when a thought occurred to him, "You, umm…Do you need some help for the test? Studying, I mean."

Rei stared at him. When she had engaged him and Toji Suzuhara in conversation, she felt…something. It hadn't been unpleasant, but it had also been mildly…peculiar, "Why do you ask?"

"Umm, because you were absent," he said quickly.

"But why are you offering to help me?"

"Oh that…" he licked his lips, "Umm…it's just that…well you're an Eva pilot and I want to help out, that's all. Asuka and Shinji are…together as strange as it is, and Hikari's gonna help Toji. So I just that that I'd give you a hand if you want."

Rei stared at him, feeling…strangely elated. For some reason, the prospect of spending time with Kensuke like a normal person would was appealing.

_And why shouldn't it be? I am…normal now, am I not?_

_But what would Commander Ikari say?_

Her reaction to that thought startled her, _Who cares?_

"I appreciate your offer Mr. Aida…"

"Call me Kensuke," he insisted.

She blinked, than nodded, "…Kensuke. I accept."

He nodded, "Alright. What time should I come over…"

"No that's not necessary," she said quickly, "You offered to help me. I'll come over to your apartment."

"Okay," he shrugged, "About what time?"

"I should be done at NERV HQ by five or so," she said, "Would six be acceptable."

"Sure," he nodded, "Would you like some…food." He deliberately avoided saying dinner, _I don't want her thinking that I'm plotting anything._

"That would be appreciated, but my diet…"

"I know, I know," he assured her as they headed for the school cafeteria, "No meat or other animal stuff."

"Is it just me, or is everyone acting out of character?" Toji muttered as he walked next to Hikari into the cafeteria. She had to take a detour to the office to drop some papers off, so now they were looking for Shinji and Asuka's table.

"Huh?" Hikari glanced at him.

"Asuka's not acting like a demoness with a chip on her shoulder; Shinji's not tense, worried and introverted; Rei's talkative…"

Hikari shrugged, "Go ask them."

"What's really got me," he continued, "is that Asuka was _really_ pissed yesterday. I mean, she was on the warpath, especially against Shinji, but today she's more…undemonish that ever."

"She's _not_ a demon," Hikari said firmly, "She's just…hard to get to know."

"Okay," he challenged, "If you know her so well, what happened?"

Hikari grunted as he pulled out Toji's lunch, "She wouldn't say."

"Ah ha," he said as he accepted the box, "Interesting."

Hikari glanced at him as they made their way towards the tables, "So…when should I come over?"

"Huh?" he stared in confusion, "Oh, that. Umm…my place might not be the best…"

"Hey, I've got _two_ sisters," she countered.

"Right," he said as he located Shinji and Asuka, when he suddenly halted, "No way. It couldn't be."

"What?" Hikari looked around.

"That has to be it. I mean what else?"

"Huh?"

"Asuka and Shinji," he pointed, "There isn't any other explanation."

"Other than what?" she tilted her head.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"_What_!" she jolted back, a horrified expression on her face, "How can you _say_ that!" Numerous students around them turned and looked at them curiously.

"Can you think of another explanation?" he shrugged.

"Toji, you…you vile-minded pervert!" she snapped as she stormed off.

Toji sighed as he turned to follow her, but stopped and stared at all the curious faces, "Mind your own business; or else." They quickly turned back to their previous discussions as he jogged over to the table.

Hikari sat down opposite of Asuka, who was next to Shinji, a looked of disgust on her face, "I can't believe him!"

"Huh?" Asuka glanced at her as she bit her apple.

"Toji!" she ranted, "I can't believe…what he…suggested." She huffed as she looked at him approaching the table, then back at Asuka, whom she looked over carefully.

"Umm…" Shinji looked back and forth between the two girls, "What did he say?"

"And why are you looking at me like that?" Asuka frowned.

"Oh, sorry!" Hikari flushed, "It's just that…"

"She didn't like my hypothesis," Toji finished as he sat.

"About what?" Shinji asked as he peeled his orange.

Toji shrugged, "You two. I think you two slept together."

Asuka and Shinji's jaws dropped as Hikari's face brightened considerably.

Asuka was the first to recovered, "_What_!"

"Toji, run," Shinji suggested harshly.

"What?" he looked at them innocently, "Do you deny it?"

"_Of course_!" they snapped.

_Even though it was technically true_, Shinji thought, _it wasn't what he was referring to._

"See?" Hikari attempted to stave off any repressions, "You were wrong."

"Really?" Toji arched an eyebrow, "Than what brought upon your sudden change of attitude, Devil Woman?"

"Hey guys!" Kensuke greeted them, "What's up?"

He was answered by a torrent of voice:

"Asuka and Shinji did it!"

"Toji's being an idiot!"

"Did not!"

"Liers!"

"Toji you pervert!"

"I'm going to kill you stooge!"

Kensuke sweated, "Okay…"

"What are you discussing?" Rei asked.

Everyone stopped and stared at Rei, taken aback by her interest.

"Well…" Shinji started.

"Unless you got some other reason," Toji said smugly, "I'm standing by my rational."

"We did not do anything!" Asuka seethed slowly, "Understand?"

"Sure," Toji nodded understandably, "So what did happen?"

"None of your business," Asuka said flatly.

"Can you believe this Rei?" Shinji sighed.

"Yes," she nodded, "Toji's theory is the most logical given the information we have."

"_What_?" Asuka stared, "You _agree_ with him!"

"To my knowledge, people that become couples often act differently than they did previous to becoming a couple, and are generally more affectionate towards each other."

Kensuke grinned, unable to resist a jab himself, "She's got a point there."

"I give up," Asuka rolled her eyes in disgust, "We didn't do anything…haven't done anything _ever_!" She stood and left.

"I'm off too," Shinji followed.

"Okay…" Kensuke sat.

"Did I say something offensive?" Rei asked.

"Yes and no," Kensuke replied.

"Hey, since when did you two start talking?" Toji smiled evilly.

_Oh crap_, Kensuke blushed.

"Hurry up!" Asuka grunted, "The last thing we need is for Dr. Akagi to be pissed at us for being late!"

"I know, I know!" Shinji sighed as he finished packing everything away into his bag.

Asuka grunted in annoyance, "Where is that idiot!"

"You're still pretty mad at him, are you?"

"Of course!" she snapped, "Rumors are flying everywhere because of that idiot!"

Shinji sighed, "Maybe you shouldn't have been so nice on the first day."

Asuka sighed in response, "I…Well, I didn't want to…act. I'm not the same as I was yesterday, okay? So what? Does that mean that they have to jump to conclusions?"

"It's an awfully big change," Shinji chuckled.

"Well, whatever," Asuka glanced around as they exited the classroom, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"'Hurry up and wait,'" Shinji quoted.

"Whatever."

Shinji sighed as he leaned against the wall, pondering what to do. Sure Asuka was different then before, but how different? Surely one night of crying wasn't going to change who she was that much, or could it?

_A bit of wishful thinking_, he thought.

_But who knew? Given all that's happened, maybe something will come of it…_

"Shinji?"

Shinji turned to find Hikari glancing around than biting her lip as she shuffled towards him.

"Uh, hi Hikari," he smiled, "You need something?"

"I was…you know, just wondering…" she glanced around, "I'm not saying that I believe what Toji said…but what did happen?"

Shinji's face faulted as Hikari's face started to burn, "I sorry if I'm intruding, but…I just…want to know to…You know; set the record straight."

_Well that's most delicate way to ask if we did it or not I've heard today…_, Shinji sighed, "Umm…"

"Hey Hikari," Asuka waved as she exited the restroom, "What's up?"

"Ah, she was just wanting to know if we could work after class anytime this week, but I doubt Dr. Akagi would like that," Shinji said quickly.

"Ah," Asuka nodded, "Anyways, we need to go! Toji can walk with Rei or whatever!"

"Right," Shinji nodded, "Bye Hikari."

"Bye and thanks," Hikari replied.

A few minutes later, Asuka turned to Shinji, "I didn't think that I was _that_ different."

"Yeah," Shinji nodded, "If Hikari starts asking, you know…"

"Well, it's too late now," Asuka grunted, "They'll just get use to it."

"Right."

Asuka glanced at him, "You know, that was nice of you; saving Hikari's face like that."

"Well," Shinji shrugged, "I doubt that she needed to be embarrassed like that. She _did_ try to stop it, after all."

Asuka found herself glancing at Shinji again before she tore her gaze away, _Oh stop that! Just because he…helped me out doesn't mean that I _like_ him!_

_No, but…he is a nice guy…and he isn't a pervert. No like those boys from school in Germany…_

_So what? I_ don't _like him!_

_You sure?_

_Well…_She shook herself, apparently enough to gain Shinji's attention.

"You okay?" he asked with concern in his tone.

"I…I'm just a little nervous about the sync tests," she said quickly.

He nodded, "It'll be okay. You know, I'm betting that you'll do a lot better now, after…well…" He looked around, his face shading for the umpteenth time.

"You think?" she asked anxiously.

He nodded confidently, "You bet."

She shook her head, _What a trip; Shinji: Confident._

"Hey!" Toji cried as he and Rei appeared behind them, "Wait up!"

Asuka smiled wickedly as she grabbed Shinji's arm, "What? Can't a happy couple walk alone together?"

Toji nearly did a face plant as Asuka released Shinji, who was quite red, and laughed, "_That_ was so worth it!" Shinji rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-16:12)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Dr. Akagi glanced at Maya Ibuki, "Is the calibration data all set?"

"Yes Doctor," she grunted, "I told you that an hour ago."

"Oh," the unnatural blonde blinked as she sat down, "Right," she shook herself as Shigeru Aoba entered.

He nodded at them as he handed Akagi a folder, "Here's the list of scientists that the U.N. is bringing in to begin Project: E2, Ma'am."

"Great," she grunted as she took them, "A whole load of people to start on the work of my research, but I don't get any additional lab assistants to run through raw data!"

"Most of them are going to be working on individual components," Maya pointed out, "And you need a number cruncher, not a Ph.D."

"Yeah, yeah," she waved.

"Doctor, the pilots are ready," Maya pointed out as four screens with the First through Fourth Child activated.

"Okay," she nodded, "First will just do the sync, than will plug in the Elemental Engine Controls. Hopefully, the Engines themselves won't activate without them."

She glanced at Asuka on her monitor and sighed_, Crunch time. Now we'll see whether or not the calibration was really screwed on Asuka's, or if she still can't sync…_

"Ready?" she asked.

"We get ready somehow?" Toji scratched his head. The other pilots, even Rei, chuckled at that.

_That's weird_, Ritsuko noted, "Figure of speech. Start."

"And now we sit back and do nothing," Asuka sighed. Dr. Akagi rolled her eyes.

"Data packets are running," Maya observed.

Dr. Akagi leaned back and waited, _I'll just close my eyes for a moment while things get started…_

"Doctor!" Maya shook her firmly.

"Huh?" she jolted upright.

"It's been nearly an hour…" the Junior Officer smiled sympathetically

"Oh…" she blinked, "What's their status?"

"Well…" Maya pointed at the console readout:

Unit-00 – Sync: 74

Unit-01 – Sync: 83

Unit-02 – Sync: 76

Unit-03 – Sync: 79

"_What_!" she nearly fell out of her chair. _Asuka_ was ahead of _Rei_! How was _that_ possible!

"Are you sure…"

"…That it's working properly? Yes, Ma'am," Maya shrugged with a grin on her face.

"But…she…" Ritsuko looked at Asuka on the monitor. Her face was placid, like all the others…but something was different…She wasn't…what?

"She's…" Ritsuko found herself at a loss for words.

"I know," Maya Ibuki looked at the screen, "The only thing I could think of is that she relieved herself of a lot of stress or something."

"Yeah…"

"None of them know their ratios," Maya pointed out, "Remember that you disconnected the consoles inside?"

"Oh!" Ritsuko thumped her head, "Right! I did it when I checked on the neural connectors!"

She activated the comm, "We're almost done here. We just have to try the EEC."

"What's our ratios?" Asuka asked, a tad nervous.

Ritsuko heaved a sigh, trying not to smile, "Well…Shinji's got the lead with 83…Rei's got 74, and Toji's got 79; which is really unexpected for his first time…"

"And?" Asuka gulped.

"And," Ritsuko flashed a smile, "You have 76."

"You're kidding!" Asuka sat back, utter flabbergasted.

"Wow, congratulations, Asuka!" Shinji said happily.

Rei frowned slightly, "I have the lowest?"

"Low is a relative term here, Rei," Akagi assured her, "74 is still very good. But according to my theory, all of you have to be able to at least spike at 100."

"Oh, don't worry," Asuka assured her with a smile that pronounced her readiness to take on the world, "That won't be a problem!"

"Sure," she nodded, "Maya, could you switch on the EECs?"

"Right away, ma'am," she nodded as she tapped a few buttons on her console, "Connected."

Ritsuko glanced at her display. Each module began adding data to the neural system, sending and receiving back from wherever the central processor was.

She sighed and leaned over for her cup of coffee that had probably gone cold, when her console beeped.

"Huh?" she stared. Module-1 of Unit-00 was active. She quickly checked the others, and found that all of them were active as well.

"Ma'am, I'm getting an error from the Engines," Lieutenant Ibuki informed her, "At least from Units 00 and 02. Something about 'Below Needed Matter Level'."

"Huh?" Akagi stared, than slapped herself, "Oh! Of course! The matter storage containers haven't been filled! 00 needs to be filled with water, and 02 probably needs carbon or something to convert into plasma!" She looked at Maya, "What's the status 01's 'battery'?"

"It's charging," she confirmed the Doctor's theory, "It's feeding off of the S2 engine."

"Right," Ritsuko nodded than activated the comm again, "Alright, you can shut down and eject…"

"Ma'am!" Maya pointed at a screen, "EE Module-2s are coming online!"

"Huh?" Ritsuko stared than scratched her head, "I guess I was off on the sync levels needed…"

She turned back to the pilots, "Anyways…considering everything, I'm authorizing a live test tomorrow."

"Alright," Toji grinned.

"Cool," Shinji agreed.

"Time to rock and roll!" Asuka waved her fist.

Rei simply nodded.

"I can't believe it!" Asuka cried, "76! I got a sync rate of 76!"

"I know," Shinji grinned at her enthusiasm, "Maybe we should eat out to celebrate."

"Hey," she thumped his forehead, "Physics? Remember physics?"

"Oh right," he chuckled.

_Geez, this is kindly creepy_, Toji shook himself, "See you newlyweds later! I have to get home before Hikari shows!"

"If we're newlyweds, than you two are an old couple!" Asuka shouted after him.

Rei glanced at her watch, "I must depart. I shall see you at school tomorrow."

"Bye Rei," Shinji said and Asuka waved when Dr. Akagi came around the bend.

"Oh there you are," she held them up, "I was just curious…what happened Asuka? The jump in your sync wasn't just because of the calibration."

"I…wouldn't know…" she said as she grabbed Shinji's hand, "We gotta go."

Ritsuko tilted her head, "Say, you two didn't…"

"_Nothing happened_!" Asuka roared as she hauled Shinji out of there.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes, "Okay…"

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-17:55)

Outside the Aida Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Rei found that, despite her military conditioning, battle experience, and her generally cool nature, she was incredibly nervous.

_Why am I this nervous? I shouldn't be. All I am doing is having Kensuke Aida assist me in studying physics._

_But you've never done this before…_

_True, but I haven't done many things before._

_Really? Then knock._

She grimaced as she looked at her watch, than around, _It's still early…_

_Normal people wouldn't wait…_

She groan, _But I'm not a normal person am I?_

_If you aren't then what are you?_

_I…do not know._

_Well, waiting around won't quicken the learning process_, her inner voice said in a surprisingly sardonic tone.

_…Point._

She raised her hand hesitantly, than knocked.

Kensuke Aida was nervous as heck as he stared at the door, wondering if she would even show.

_Oh come on_, he tried to reassure himself, _She wouldn't do that. She's just coming over here to study, that's all._

_Really? How do you know how she thinks?_

_Well…_

Kensuke force himself to sit down, _It's just that I've never had a girl over before. Well, except for Hikari when she stopped by to berate me for skipping; oh and Sakura's been over before, but she doesn't count._

_Nope_, he shook his head, _No girls since…_He sighed, _since Mom died…_

_Enough bad memories!_ the specter of his father told him, _Your mother never would have wanted this! She only would want you to carry the best of memories!_

_Right_, he told himself, _The best of memories…_

He jolted as a knock came from the door. He quickly made his way over and peeped through the hole.

It was her.

He heaved once and opened the door, "Hey Rei!"

She nodded, "Hello Kensuke."

"Umm…" he fought his twisted tongue as he looked around before quickly moving aside, "Oh! Please come in!"

"Thank you," she said as she carefully removed her shoes, "I apologize for being early."

"Huh?" he glanced at a clock, "Oh, don't worry about it!"

She nodded, "Well…umm…"

"Would you like something to eat?" Kensuke managed to blurt out, "That is…before we start working."

"Yes," she nodded again, "I am hungry."

"Right, umm…" he started for the kitchen when he stopped as he mental kicked himself, "Please sit," he indicated the table outside the kitchen door, "and just ask if you need anything."

She nodded as she sat down, "Thank you."

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-18:10)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Commander Ikari looked at the report that Dr. Akagi had finally managed to deliver to him. He cricked his neck as he read it over, noting that Shinji still had the highest sync, but stopped at the report on the Second Child.

_That's curious_, he glanced through her retelling of events, _It seems the Second Child has her legs back. _And_ she was being friendly with the Third…_

_He is your son. Remember?_ a voice that was suspiciously similar to Yui's spoke from the depths of his mind.

He sighed to himself as he willed the voice away, _I gave him up a long time ago._

He frowned as he read through the next page_, The Fourth was seemingly joking around just before the test commenced, but probably only to 'lighten the mood'. Curious, but not unexpected from his profile…What?_

Gendo Ikari stared at the paper as he read it again. _Rei had…reacted to the humor? _That_ was unusual._

_Than again_, he thought, _she has been acting oddly of late. Perhaps being separated from Lilith has altered her more than I thought._

He reached over and picked up the phone.

Monday, January 05, 2016 (Day 3-18:15)

Aida Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"The salad is good," Rei commented slowly, fairly certain that it was expected to compliment her host.

"Uh, yeah," Kensuke nodded as he grabbed another piece of chicken, "Thanks."

They sat in silence for another moment, like most of the meal, when Kensuke finally managed to get up the nerve to ask the question that was burning in his heart, "Ah…I'm just curious…but why don't you like to eat meat?"

"Hmmm?" the blue-haired girl looked up, "Why?"

"Yeah…" he nodded, "I just never understood why anyone wouldn't like to eat meat."

"Animals are living creatures," she frowned, but seemed to consider the question more deeply than he thought she would have.

"Yeah, but," he smirked, "at least they're dead when we cook them. Plants, we boil _alive_."

She stared at him, utterly horrified, as he chuckled, "Of course, they _aren't_ alive in the same way…"

"Yes, they aren't," she agreed as she glanced at her salad.

"So…you don't eating animals because they are, or were, alive?" he asked for confirmation.

"I…am unsure," she said as her frown deepened, "I remember the first time that I had meat I didn't like it and told Commander Ikari that…" She stopped as she looked up nervously, "I neglected to inform him that I would be over here."

"So?" Kensuke shrugged, "You are emancipated, right? You can go where ever you want with out permission."

"I…I am not use to this," she sighed.

"Don't worry," he smiled kindly, "I wasn't either when I was first emancipated."

"After you became an orphan?" she asked.

"Yep. My dad was in the military, and he was killed in an accident. So, since my mom was already gone, the government said I could either become a foster kid, or stay here and be given a stipend off of my dad's pension so long as I stayed in school."

"I see," she shifted as she looked at her nearly empty plate.

"So is that what's was bothering you?" he asked as he collected her dishes and set them inside the kitchen.

"Well…I have also been…ill at ease recently; ever since the Rebirth."

"Ah," he nodded, "Do you think that's because you no longer are part Lilith?"

"I…am unsure," she admitted, "That would be the most logical explanation. I feel…rather disconcerted. Like a part of me is gone. A part that…kept me from being alone. But now that it's gone, I am like everyone else; but I am…lonely without it."

"So…" he bit his lip, "So, it's like…you had something that set you apart that kept you company, but now that it's gone, you feel more normal, but alone?"

"I…believe that is the best way of putting it, yes," she nodded.

"Well…don't worry about it," Kensuke smiled as he rubbed his neck, "It's a perfectly normal thing that people go through; feeling alone that is. Just remember that you do have friends."

"I do?"

"Yeah," he declared, "You got Shinji, right? And Toji's a good guy once you get to know him. And heck, from what we saw today, Asuka might just turn around. Plus you got me."

"You are…my friend?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well sure," he sat down next to her, "I mean, I'm helping you with your homework. Friends do that sort of thing for each other."

"So," she tried to grasp the situation, "we're friends? Like…Hikari and Toji?"

"Huh?" he face started to shade, "Uh, no. At least, I don't think so…"

She looked at him, rather confused.

"Hikari and Toji are…well…you know. They're _really_ close. They just won't admit it."

"Than are we like Shinji and Asuka?" she asked.

"I haven't a clue," Kensuke said with a shrug, "I don't know _where_ those two are. We're friends like…like me and Toji."

Rei frowned, "But I am not male."

"Ah, yes…But so? That doesn't matter."

"But I was under the notion that the relationship between individuals of the same gender and those of the opposite were different."

"Not all the time," Kensuke told her, his face feeling quite warm at this point, "I mean, I'm friends with Hikari, and if I was a friend to her like Toji was, than he'd probably kill me."

"Oh," Rei nodded slowly, "Because she is…his girl?"

"That's right," he breathed a sigh of relief, _Geez, we were supposed to be doing easy stuff like physics!_

"I believe that I understand this adequately," Rei pointed at the reference for Newton's Second Law.

"Okay," Kensuke stiffened a yawn, "Let's do a few practice problems to be sure, okay? Than we can probably call it a night."

"Very well," Rei nodded. It had been a rather interesting night. For some reason, she had felt compelled to confess her current problems with Kensuke.

_And he said we were friends._

_I am not aware of when this happened_, she realized as she glanced at the problem in the book, _Did it happen before? Or did all of this happen today? Was that possible?_

_It must be_, she told herself, _After all, we had no…relationship before today. At least, that I am aware of._

She looked over at him, _Why _did_ he want to help me? He was under no obligation…Does he have another motive? Or is he simply helping me because…because we are…friends? If he was like Commander Ikari…Commander Ikari kept me around for various reasons, I know that, but at the time he was the only one that I had. But now…_

She looked away from Kensuke before he noticed she gawking at him, _But he isn't like him. He's like Shinji…and Toji Suzuhara, I believe. I think…I think that I like these people better._


	9. Chapter 09: Breaking Stuff

Chapter 09: Blowing Stuff Up to Look Tough

Tuesday, January 06, 2016 (Day 4-10:32)

Antarctica

Major Misato Katsuragi leaned forward for a view of the great white wasteland that they were current flying over. It had taken them longer than expected to make all the necessary preparation for an Antarctic venture due to the fact that no one had needed any cold weather-hardened equipment for years, and it had all fallen into disuse. And, of course, any equipment that _was_ cold weather-hardened was at least fifteen years old.

Luckily, she noted, it hadn't taken too long for the combined efforts of NERV and the Aussie Military to refit a few choppers and find pilots who were both willing and able to fly the things.

Ryoji Kaji leaned over and tapped on the map, "We should be close now. At least, I think so," he grinned, "It's hard trying to distinguish one icy hill from another."

"Sure…" she nodded slowly.

"Okay, what now?"

"It's just that I would have thought that we would have been able to communicated by now," she sighed, "I mean…there isn't a good reason we shouldn't be able to."

"Maybe the energy resonance from the Rebirth scrambled their electronics," he shrugged, "According to the satellite data, it was far more powerful on the poles than elsewhere.

"That and there was a large storm rolling through here until this morning."

"Maybe…" she nodded again.

"Oh, cheer up," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Look on the bright side! If everything's okay, than you can see your father again. …And if not…I don't have to put up with an in-Law."

"You're terrible!" Misato chuckled.

"Me?" he smiled innocently.

"I can't believe that I agreed to marry you," she rolled her eyes.

"Major!" the co-pilot leaned back, "We've spotted the base!"

"Okay!" she waved, "Take us in!"

She looked out carefully trying to see where the base was…What?

"Oh my…" Misato turned white.

Ryoji stared, "What happened?" He gapped at the huge hole in the middle of the wasteland. He knew that things like that didn't occur anywhere; they occurred in inconvenient places precisely like a scientific base in the middle of nowhere.

"That's…that's where Adam emerged," Misato breathed, "I'm sure of it."

"But…Wait a second," Ryoji frowned, "Are you saying that that wasn't…repaired?"

"Probably not," she grimaced, "Given that they initiated Second Impact _to_ repair everything, I guess what was damaged to initiate it wasn't included."

"Yeah…" he nodded slowly.

A few minutes later, the choppers landed outside of the main entrance.

"Major," one of the NERV officers saluted as he approached, "My men are ready to move in…"

"_Hey_!" a ragged and desperate voice yelled from inside, "Is someone there!"

"Hello, we−" Misato started as three men bolted out of the building.

"Help us!" they pleaded, "You've got to help us!" A pair of scratchy-faced men with raggedly wrapped clothes charged towards them.

The NERV Op Commander started to order his team when Misato intervened, "It's alright! We're from NERV and we're here to get you all out of here!"

"Thank you!" their relief and gratitude obvious, and one of them dropped to a knee, "Thank you God!"

Misato blinked and turned to the other man, "Do you know where Dr. Katsuragi is?"

"Keitaro?" he frowned, "Yeah, he's with−" He suddenly stopped, his face as white as the ice around them, "It…it _can't_ be!"

"What's wrong Sasuke?" the man that had been on his knees blinked.

"James…it's…it's _her_!"

"What…" the other man, whom she recognized as Dr. James McMaster, looked from Dr. Sasuke Yamamoto to Misato.

She shrugged sheepishly, "It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

McMaster paled as it hit him, "_Little Misato_!"

Dr. Keitaro Katsuragi frowned as he turned as Dr. Greta Hamburg entered, "Where are Sasuke and James?"

"I don't now," she sighed, "I…I hope that they didn't go to the surface…but with the way James was talking…" she shrugged helplessly, "Maybe he _did_ hear something…"

Dr. Katsuragi sighed, "I…I hope so."

"You're still worry about your daughter," she noted.

He nodded, "Yes…I mean, this was _supposed_ to have been entirely safe. And with her mother was gone…I just couldn't abandon the poor girl…but I couldn't stop either…"

"Stop blaming yourself," Greta patted him on the shoulder, "You said you remember placing her in one of the life-pods, right? If so, than she'll be fine…"

"Yes, but what has happened? All of our communication gear is fried, and what with the storms…"

"Maybe they'll send someone," she shrugged, "I mean, they can't have…"

"_Keitaro_!" Dr. Daniel Klein, the base MD, "Someone's here!"

"What? Who?" he asked as they made their way towards the main lift, which had taken them two whole days to get operational. As they drew closer, more and more of the staff joined them on to meet their saviors.

When they arrived they found James and Sasuke with a group of eight people wearing uniforms that Keitaro had never seen before.

He stepped forward, "Excuse me, but I am the head of the institute here. My name is…"

He was cut off as one of the officers, a woman that looked to be in her late twenties stepped over to him, her expression one of immense relief. He blinked at her, wondering if he knew her from somewhere.

_Come to think of it, she looks a like Misato…_

The woman appeared to be trying to say something, but nothing managed to get out. After a second, she apparently gave up and suddenly embraced him.

"Miss?" he said, startled by her unexpected action.

"What?" a man whose appearance was somewhat scruffy, and whose was a mix of mischief and gladness, "You don't recognize your own daughter?"

The entirety of the staff, save Sasuke and James, dropped their jaw.

Misato felt, for the first time in sixteen years, simple and unabated joy. Her father was alive, _alive_! Despite all the times where she had thought she had hated him, she just wanted this moment last forever; she, standing here with father, with no other worries.

Of course, Ryoji had to do something about that: "What? You don't recognize your own daughter?"

She twisted, "Ryoji you jerk!"

"What?" he smiled innocently.

Dr. Keitaro Katsuragi trembled as he looked at her, "M−Misato?"

"Hi Dad," she smiled sheepishly.

"But…But you…you're…"

"I'm sixteen years older than the last time you saw me?" she put in.

"Sixteen years?" a woman, whom Misato recalled as being Dr. Greta Hamburg, rocked on her heels, "Has it been _that_ long?"

"Yep," Ryoji nodded, "Today's date is January 6th, 2016."

"2016?" the staff murmured.

"Lieutenant," Misato turned, "Organize the evacuation and see to the retrieval of anything of value that we can take. A secondary team will be out to clean up the rest as soon as they have the necessary equipment."

"Yes, Ma'am," he nodded.

Misato turned back to her father, "Let's go sit somewhere."

"Misato…" Keitaro Katsuragi shook his head, "I…I don't know what to say."

Misato glanced over at her father, "What do you mean?"

"Misato…" he sighed, "I…I don't know where to begin. I mean…it's been _sixteen_ years! I barely knew you when you were 14; how am I suppose to catch up now!"

Misato colored slightly, "Dad…"

"Well," he heaved, "I suppose I should just start, eh? What have you been up to? I mean, I can see that you're in the military, or rather NERV, but I can hear about that later."

"Where to start…" Misato leaned back.

"Well," he shrugged, "are you married? Any children?"

"I…" Misato smiled whimsically, "Well, I _am_ engaged I suppose."

He raised an eyebrow, "You suppose?"

"It's only been a few days," she shrugged, "I hasn't really sunk in yet."

"Ah," he nodded knowingly, "So tell me about the lucky man."

"Well, actually…" she grinned, "It's Ryoji Kaji."

He blinked, confused, "Misato, I've never…"

"Hey, there you are," Ryoji entered, bearing a bag, "I've got some hot food!"

Misato jerked a thumb at him, "It's about time, _dear_."

Keitaro's face faulted, "You mean…_him_?"

"Huh? What?" Ryoji blinked, "Oh, yeah. Me."

"He's not that bad," Misato grinned as she opened the bag up, "He's a work in progress."

"That's what your mother said about me," he eyed Ryoji suspiciously.

"Oh, don't worry," Misato huffed, "I can take care of myself, and him if I need to."

"Oh gee," Ryoji rolled his eyes, "That make me feel _real_ special."

"Besides," Misato continued without missing a beat, "he's a lot like you. Just not as academically gifted."

Keitaro glanced at him again, "Really?"

Ryoji shrugged, "I don't know; she's always saying that."

"I see," he nodded, "So why _exactly_ should I let my daughter marry you?" Misato started to say something, but Ryoji beat her to it.

"Because she's a real good shot," he said unflinchingly.

Misato turned to glare at him, when Keitaro started laugh, "Ah, I see why Misato says we're similar."

"I'll never get either of you," she sighed.

"Oh well," Ryoji shrugged, "Just so long as you can live with me, I'll be happy."

"Hey!" Keitaro put his hand up, "What about me?"

Tuesday, January 06, 2016 (Day 4-14:32)

First Municipal Junior High, Tokyo-3, Japan

Toji Suzuhara grinned as he stood, "Alright! Time to rock and roll!"

"What are you guys doing today?" Kensuke asked as he finished packing his bookbag.

"We're taking the Evas out for a test run," Toji smiled broadly.

"A test run!" Kensuke jumped, "Where! Where!"

"We don't know," Shinji shrugged, "But I doubt that they would want us to tell you, Kensuke."

"Yeah, and I doubt they'd be happy to here that Toji blabbed about today's test, either," Asuka added, "But oh well. Shinji, I have to go drop something off at the office. I'll be back in a minute, and than we're leaving, okay?"

"Right," he nodded as she left.

"So…" Toji leered at him, "What's the scoop, eh?"

"What?" Shinji twitch as he stepped back.

"Oh come on," Kensuke grinned, "You and Asuka. _Something_ happened to her. Okay, yeah; we believe you when you say two didn't do _it_. But _something_ happened!"

"Guys…" Shinji shook his head, "Just leave well enough along, okay? I'm not saying anything about it."

"Spoil sport," Toji sniffed as he walked over to Hikari.

Kensuke sighed as he went to retrieve his bag and head home when Rei intercepted him, "Kensuke?"

"Ah, Rei," Kensuke waved, "How was the test for you?"

"I believe that I did well," she said, "No doubt due to your assistance."

"No problem," he smiled, "Well, I heading home…"

"I have a question for you," she said, seeming slightly embarrassed.

"What?" he blinked.

"I was…hoping that you would be able to help me with the algebra."

Kensuke stared for a moment when he shook himself, "Oh, sure. I guess that we do have a math test next week, don't we?"

"Yes," she looked down at her hands, "Unless of course that it's too much trouble…"

"Oh, no trouble," he said quickly, attempting to reassure her, "I was just…well, caught flat-footed."

"I see," she nodded, "Very well. Tonight is inconvenient because we well most likely be at NERV until late. Tomorrow I believe would work."

"Alright," Kensuke nodded as he headed for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

As he left, he walked into Toji's conversation with Hikari "…So you see, I'm gonna be late, so I was hoping that you could make dinner for Sakura. She promised not to be rude," Toji assured her, "And if you leave a plate for me, that would be great."

Hikari sighed, "I guess. But you have to help me after school tomorrow if you can."

"Sure, sure," he nodded, "I don't think we'll have to head to NERV afterward, but who knows? Thanks Hikari."

"Sure."

Tuesday, January 06, 2016 (Day 4-14:56)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Kozo Fuyutsuki tried to hide his heavy sigh as Gendo Ikari leaned on the table, facing the virtual U.N. Council, "I understand you're concerns," he said in a tone that stated otherwise, "But you must understand that we are not dealing with a prototype system. The Evas are all fully functional, and no component in them has been found unstable."

"But," the American Ambassador Sanders cocked his head, "How extensive have you tested them?"

"We will be having a field test today," Ikari informed them, "But all of their components have been powered and scanned."

"I see," Mr. Sanders nodded, "You must understand though, Commander Ikari, that my government does not want another disaster to occur. The losses we incurred from Eva-04 were rather heavy, and though the base was restored, Eva-04 was not."

"And neither were any of the production series," Mr. Chan added.

"Yes we know," Fuyutsuki responded tartly, "However, the Angels only restored the Evas that had pilots. Eva-04 and the rest did not. They probably considered them to be too dangerous for us to have at the time."

"What are you talking about!" Secretary General Pavlov demanded, "Why would they consider it a danger if…"

"You misunderstand Fuyutsuki's meaning," Ikari cut him off, "He means that the Angels didn't want a _spare_ Evangelion unit left around for the Demons to find. We only have until February 1st when the demons show up. We didn't have time to find and train a new pilot, let alone ten of them."

_In truth_, Fuyutsuki noted darkly, _that wasn't true. We have over more than enough children readily available for all the units that had existed. But the Angels apparently only had revived the Evas for the pilots, making the others unnecessary._

"However, that does not mean that we cannot produce our own for later use. Whether or not the Demons only come this once, I doubt that this will be the last time that we will have need for them," Ikari continued, "I also firmly believe that the Evas need to be controlled internationally, otherwise they may be used in petty wars of conquest. And, according to Dr. Akagi's report, it should be entirely possible for anyone to pilot one of our Eva-2 Series."

"I see," Mr. Chan nodded, "So you are saying that an elite cadre of our nations' military would be the core of the new pilot and not children that Marduk selects?"

"Correct, Mr. Ambassador."

"However," Fuyutsuki spoke, "We also must address the issue of the Angels. As we have stated before, we cannot allow the Demons to realize that we have had contact with them. How well they are able to interface with our information network is unknown, but we can't afford to take any risks."

"We understand, Commander Fuyutsuki," Mr. Sanders replied, "The FBI is scourging our domestic web domains and other hard media, and the CIA, DIA and NSA are checking foreign sites and media. We will, of course, contact the appropriate nation and inform them if they are host to one of these sites."

"Many thanks," Ikari nodded, "However, we also have to 'explain' certain technologies that were created based off of Eva, and manufacture records for all of the formerly dead citizens that have been Reborn. And also, I doubt that they will not notice city names as, New London, or for that matter, Tokyo-3. We have to go and rewrite history."

"But we cannot simply rewrite history without raising questions, Ikari!" Pavlov snapped, "Questions that will lead to very unpleasant repercussions!"

"I agree," Sanders said, "My country's citizens will regard any and all activities with suspicion. And some of the more…enthusiastic ones will reach a high level of paranoia. We can't simply shut them down either. No one will support the suspension of our Constitutional rights for no given reason."

"I understand," Ikari said solemnly, "So we will simply have to tell them."

"_What_?"

"You misunderstand," Ikari assured them, "Not the whole truth, but enough so that they will understand that discussing anything related to the Second Impact or the Angels would be…unwise."

Asuka closed her locker as he sealed her plug suit and glanced over at Rei. She grinned evilly as she walked over to her, "So Rei…"

"Yes?" Rei asked as she sealed her suit.

"What's with you and Kensuke?"

"What?" Rei jerked sharply at the questions.

"You heard me," Asuka's smile broadened, "You and Kensuke."

"I…I mean, he assisted me in studying physics," Rei answered, suddenly nervous for a reason that she couldn't pin down.

"Really?" Asuka arched an eyebrow, "And what about earlier today?"

"Ah, I asked him if he would help me with algebra," Rei replied.

"Really?" Asuka shook her head, "You know, if you're going after him, you should ask me for help. Let's face it; you don't really have much experience in this area."

"Go…after him?" Rei blinked, utterly confused.

Asuka rolled her eyes, "You know; get together with him."

"Ah," Rei's face reddened, "I…I have…no…intention in moving that direction…I think…"

Asuka chuckled, "Oh my. You really are a babe in the woods, aren't you?"

"I…I just am…unsure of how he perceives me."

"Oh boy," Asuka sighed, "I've got to intervene here. I can't stand to see another relationship take a Toji/Hikari turn."

Rei blinked, than smiled slightly as an idea came to her, "As oppose to a relationship similar to you and Shinji?"

Asuka's face quickly matched her suit, "Hey!"

Shinji glanced around as he and the other pilots stood in the briefing room in their plug suits, waiting for Dr. Akagi.

"Umm…maybe she's getting some coffee," Lieutenant Ibuki chewed her lip nervously.

"Yeah," Asuka snorted, "or maybe she feel asleep on the way."

"She's been real busy," Maya said, defending her superior.

"Yeah, we know," Toji nodded knowingly, "Too busy to sleep."

"I'm here, I'm here," Ritsuko Akagi declared as she stumbled in, "I'll make this quick. We've been cleared to exercise in a rocky area near the sea at these coordinates." She headed them all a datapad, "At these coordinates, you will, in sequence, activate your EEs and use them. We may have you perform other tasks, and you will generally get use to the new Eva."

"We've already piloted them," Asuka pointed out.

"Yes," she nodded sarcastically, "You walked here from the LCL seashore. Very rigorous."

Toji chuckled, "Okay. Anything you need to tell us before we go and blow stuff up?"

"We don't know that you will 'blow stuff up,' Mr. Suzuhara."

"Yeah, sure," he smiled.

"Okay," Asuka smiled as she stood by.

"Stand by for launch," Hyuga's voice came over the comm. He was Misato's lieutenant and was subbing for her.

"00, ready."

"01, ready to launch."

"02, all green and ready to go."

"03," Toji grinned, "ready to blow some stuff up."

Akagi rolled her eyes, "No one said that a 14 year old had to be professional while saving the world."

"Evas," Hyuga grinned at the comment, "launch!"

As one, all four Evas' restraints were released and the Rail System let them fly.

Sakura glanced at Hikari from the table where she was working on her math, "So my brother is where?"

Hikari shrugged, "I don't know. He just said that they were taking the Evas out for a test run."

"Where?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "He didn't know either, or at least he didn't say."

"Hey Sakura, Hikari!" Ayumi suddenly shouted from in front of the TV, "Take a look at this!"

The two girls quickly went over and stared at the screen as Midori bounced excitedly, "Which one is which, Sis?"

Sakura was bouncing with her after a second, "Yeah! Which one is my brother in?"

Hikari stared as the four Evas were being shown walking across the landscape when a reporter's voice came on, "Attention! What you are seeing are NERV's Evangelion units. This, however, is not coinciding with an emergency. From what we can tell, the units are heading to a location quarantined off by the government for a routine test. Warning: Trespassers will either be apprehended and charged, or shot on sight. Also, the U.N. and NERV will be having a press conference tomorrow to discuss the future of the Evangelion units."

Shinji might have wondered why his mouth was dry, but the anticipation he was feeling explain it away. Whatever happened, this would be interesting.

"Hey," Asuka called impatiently, "Are we going to actually do anything besides stand here and be pretty?"

"I," Toji said in the gravest voice, "am not _pretty_."

A faint giggle could be detected over the comm that sounded very much like Maya Ibuki when Dr. Akagi's exasperated voice answered, "A few more minutes, okay? We have to make sure that everything is set up. We have to learn as much as possible from this test. Unless you happen to want to do this again tomorrow, of course."

"Fine," Asuka grunted, conceding the point. She leaned back and tried to relax, but she was restless. She just wanted to _do_ something!

A thought dawn upon her and he tapped her comm for a private channel, "Hey Shinji!"

"Huh?" Shinji snapped out of a daze, "What is it?"

Asuka eyed him coyly, "Oh I was just wondering if you'd noticed Rei lately."

Shinji blinked, confused by her question, "Huh? What about Rei?"

"Didn't you see her and Kensuke?"

"Rei and Kensuke?" he blinked, "Well…let's see…they were together when they came into the cafeteria at school the other day…and I saw them talking today in class for a little bit…" He stopped as she rolled her eyes.

"Can't you see it?" she snorted.

Shinji looked at her incredulously, "Rei…and _Kensuke_? Are you kidding me?"

Asuka shrugged, "I dunno. I asked her about it, but she claimed that he was just helping her with her homework."

"Huh," Shinji chuckled, "Who would've thought."

"Yeah…" Asuka said, suddenly remembering Rei's parting shot: '…relationship similar to you and Shinji…' Me and Shinji? She felt her face beginning to burn.

"Asuka?" Shinji cocked his head, unaware of her thoughts, "You alright?"

"I…" she started panic.

"Alright, we're ready," an exasperated Doctor Akagi told them.

_Saved_, Asuka sighed before putting on her usual firebrand smile, "Let's do this!"

Each of the Evas were assigned a large hill to…to do whatever it was the EE did to them. They just hoped that it wasn't too spectacular, otherwise the Japanese government would be rather unhappy with them.

"Stand by, Unit-00," Akagi's voice sounded.

Rei nodded as she glanced at her instruments: Sync was at 73, a notch down from yesterday, but not anything to be concerned about; EE's 1 and 2 were active and standing by, and her "water tank" was at full capacity, "Unit-00, ready."

"Stand by to activate EE-1," Akagi ordered.

"Roger."

Everyone took in a breath of anticipation. Than Dr. Akagi made the order, "00, activate."

Rei toggled her Water Elemental Engine from stand by-status to active. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Than, a targeting retinal appeared on her screen, similar to one used for her assault rifle. She also had the sensation that something was crawling around in her brain.

"Rei, report," Dr. Akagi called.

"A targeting system is active," Rei informed her, "That's all that's obvious on my end. Also…my controls are registering a live weapon."

"Anything else?"

"Well…" she thought about the feeling, "I have the sense of something crawling around my brain."

"Huh?" Ritsuko blinked, _Her brain…_

"Maya, check the brain waves on Rei!"

"Right," Maya nodded curtly as her fingers flew. She paused as she looked at the screen, "That's odd."

"What is it?"

"Rei's brain is…is being used."

"What?" Dr. Akagi looked at the data, "That's…it's like…Wait!" she rocked back, her expression one of shocking amusement.

"What does it mean, ma'am?" Ibuki asked.

"The EEs! They have to run all of the data the need through the human brain! That's why they need a certain level of sync! It's just like the rest of the Eva, except that the need is much higher because the need data isn't similar to any normal human function!"

"I see," she nodded.

Ritsuko turned back to the comm, "Go ahead with the test, Rei."

"Acknowledged," Rei nodded, "Standing by to fire." Rei blinked as she brought up her Eva's right arm and stretch out its hand out of instinct, "Note: My interface with Eva gave me the instinct to position Eva's arm."

Maya's eyes tracked another change, "A.T. Field of 00 has shifted around her hand."

Rei breathed, than pulled the trigger, "Firing."

The result might have resulted in laughter and mockery if one didn't look at the effect. What was fired out of Eva-00's hand was nothing more a stream of water. However, this water was highly pressured and further propelled by the A.T. Field.

It cut into the hillside with the effect of a laser beam.

"Check that!" Ritsuko ordered.

"Roger!" Maya worked furiously, "According to the data…that stream of water exceeded a quarter of a million PSI, moving at…0.03 meters per second!"

"Well, crap," Ritsuko laughed.

"Observation!" Rei called suddenly.

"What is it Rei?" Akagi asked.

"My display for EE-1 changed. It had renamed it to…Water Cannon."

"An adept, if not plain name," Akagi remarked, "It was most likely what you thought of it unconsciously Rei, or am I wrong?"

"No, Doctor, you are correct."

"Right," Akagi nodded, "00, stand down for now. 01, stand by."

"00, stand down for now. 01, stand by." Shinji shook himself at that, clearing his head of the mind boggling sight the Rei had displayed.

"Roger that," he turned towards his own hill.

"Start up," Akagi ordered.

Based upon Rei's observation, Shinji instantly realized what the brain-crawling sensation was, so he acknowledged it and a moved on. Like Rei, his controls also registered an active weapon and a targeting rectal appeared and the instinct to move his arm triggered in his mind.

All set… "Standing by," Shinji breathed.

"Go ahead, 01."

"Right; firing!" he depressed the trigger.

Unlike Rei's…Water Cannon, the surge that rocked his Eva was invisible. The results weren't. He didn't get the same deep, laser-like penetration as the Water Cannon had, but his impact was much more evident.

"Looks like you were right about that device at the base of the battery, ma'am," Ibuki pointed on her screen, "Wind control."

"What was the speed on that pulse?" Dr. Akagi asked.

"Sensors indicate the wind speed between 01 and the target area spiked from 12 SE to nearly 470 Klicks per Hour!" Maya's jaw dropped, "That's nearly twice of the speed of a Category 4 typhoon!"

"Indeed," Akagi nodded, "This is getting interesting."

"Note," Shinji reported, "EE-1 is now…Wind Pulse."

"Acknowledge."

Asuka gritted her teeth. Both Rei's and Shinji's EEs had been pretty impressive, but a part of her wanted to pass them up. She concentrated, as if by sheer force of will, she could control how powerful her own Elemental Engine would be.

_That_, another part of her fired back, _is ridiculous._

Asuka shook herself as Dr. Akagi's voice filtered into her Entry Plug, "02, stand by."

"Acknowledged," she said, punching her activation toggle.

Suddenly, she got the overwhelming instinct to move her arm _away_. No sooner had she done so, when long thin panels, one on top and one underneath, on her right arm slid open and a torrent of flame shot out.

"Asuka what are you doing!" Akagi snapped.

Asuka stared, momentarily paralyzed by the suddenly action, when she noticed that the flame had _refined_. It had form a…_a blade_?

"Doctor, I think that _this_ is my EE-1," Asuka said slowly, glancing at her panel and read the new name, "A…Flare Blade."

Akagi stared for a moment, than shook her head. Of course! The first two had been targeted projectile types. But 02's was a straight up _melee_ type. It didn't need a secondary release, "Acknowledged, 02. Test it out."

Asuka grinned, "Roger."

As she swung her blade though the hillside, Ritsuko turned to Maya, "Anything?"

"The A.T. Field around her arm is holding the plasma that's leaking out into a controlled area. Most of the blade is superheated air and flame off of the actual plasma. It's not solid, but it'll cut through nearly anything."

"You catch that Asuka?" Dr. Akagi asked.

"Yeah, I did," Asuka grinned broadly, pleased with her first EE.

"03, stand by."

"Oh boy," Toji rubbing his hands in anticipation, "Time to blow some stuff up."

Akagi groaned than composed herself, "Activate EE-1, 03"

"Acknowledged," Toji smiled as he toggled the panel. As with Rei and Shinji, he had a targeting retinal appear, his triggers went live, and he had the instinct to position his arm.

"Stand by to fire, 03," Akagi ordered and turned to Maya, "What do you think? It's a ranged weapon, but…Earth?"

"I guess we're about to see," Maya replied.

"Firing!" Toji smiled maniacally.

Nothing emerged from Eva Unit-03's hand. Nothing visible, and nothing on sensors.

But that didn't stop the hillside from being blasted. Unlike Shinji's Wind Pulse, whatever had Toji had fired didn't spray debris all over; it simply _pushed_ the hill in.

"Umm…what was that?" Toji blinked.

"Maya, check the EM sensors again!" Akagi ordered.

"Right…" she nodded, than shook her head, "Negative. A blast like that…"

"But than what could it…" Ritsuko broke off as she tapped on her console, "That's it! It was _gravity_! Somehow, Toji fired a blast of gravity at the hillside!"

"But how? Gravity requires mass…" Maya frowned.

"Excuse me," Asuka spoke, "But…I remember in school we learn about something like this…Oh what was it called…Oh right: Gravitons."

"Gravitons?" Akagi blinked, "Oh, of course! Particle exchange! That weird device must be a graviton control mechanism!"

"Well…that makes sense…" Maya shrugged.

"My EE is called Gravity Pulse?" Toji quizzed, "Well…it works…"

"Alright," Akagi sighed, "All of your EE-2 modules are active, so well test them, than move on to checking them in different ways and scenarios."

"Acknowledged."

"Alright, Rei," she waved, "Do it."

Shinji's body was acting very uncooperative after spending so long in the Entry Plug. Thus, it took him a few minutes to drag it out of the plug suit.

"Well, I'm happy!" Toji grinned. Shinji shook himself; he wasn't used to having someone else in the locker room with him. The only other time was when Kaoru, or rather, Tabris had been here.

"With what?" Shinji asked.

"I got to _rend_ the earth!" Toji beamed.

Shinji nodded slowly, recalling his second Engine, referred to as 'Earth Cleaver'. In truth it could do more than split a crack open; it could also thrust it out, spearing something, or even spit boulders at a target, though the accuracy wasn't great.

"Oh course, yours is pretty cool too," he added, "What's it called? The bouncing lightning thing?"

Shinji chuckled, "_Chained_ Lightning."

"Right…" he nodded, "And Rei's got her Ice Beam and Asuka's got…Plasma Ball?"

"Plasma _Bomb_," Shinji corrected him.

"Yeah, sure," Toji grunted, "I'm heading home. And I hope that I don't have to do anything tomorrow!"

"I thought that you were helping Hikari after school…" Shinji commented.

"Oh…right."


	10. Chapter 10: Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 10: Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-7:29)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Come on!" Asuka snapped, "Hurry up, or we'll be late!"

"Coming!" Shinji assured her as he hurriedly searched for his missing book.

"I swear, if you aren't out this door in twenty seconds I'll…"

"Got it!" Shinji said triumphantly. He stuffed the book in his bag and hurried out the door.

"Took you long enough," she groaned.

"Oh come on," he smiled, "How often are we late? And besides, we have time. We'll be there with five minutes to spare."

"True," she suddenly altered her expression, "I guess…its just habit."

Shinji glanced at her. Of late, Asuka had been very…well, nice to him. The constant was more startling than initial as the memory of Sunday night, or rather Monday morning, became distant.

He shook himself, _In its own perverse way, it had been easier to deal with Asuka before, he reflected, You knew what was always coming, and you just had to brace for it. But now…he tried not to grimace as his thoughts whirled around, Now she was…unpredictable. Now I have no idea where we stand…_

_Wait a second, pal. What we are we referring to?_

_Well…Asuka and I…_

_Ah-ha. So now you two are we?_

_Well…_, he glanced at her again. He had had fantasies of her before, in which she was kind, caring and understanding. And in which they had been…well together. Except now, she was on the verge of _being_ that part of his fantasy. She _was_ kinder and more considerate than before. Not quite as much as in his daydream, but an obviously noticeable difference.

He sighed_, I still am an indecisive coward though. Sure, I've been more confident. And I even stood up to father. But that was…that was different. I wasn't…standing up against anything directed at me._

_So, you're still a wuss?_

_I…I don't know. I don't what to think. My life…does it_ really _have a purpose? I mean, I helped other people out, and I saved the world, well sort of. But…but why do _I _matter? What's so special about _me_? Why would Asuka…like me?_

_Is _that_ what this is about?_ the voice chuckled darkly, _You're afraid that Asuka will reject you?_

_I…I don't even know that I _like_ her!_

_Sure. You can't decide, same as always. Afraid to commit yourself to anything, except when someone directs you. You wouldn't know that you were an Eva pilot, except that whenever they need you, they call you. Blazes, you wouldn't know you were human except that you've been examined and fit the physical make up of one!_

Shinji fumed slightly as he waved the voice away, _I don't need this!_

_Sure you don't. You need someone to lead you by the hand and tell you want to do. It's a wonder that you were able to help Asuka without someone telling you to, but than again, even you aren't that blind…_

"You've been quiet," Asuka commented.

"I…I've just been doing some thinking," Shinji shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"About what?" Asuka asked.

"Umm…just…things. I mean, it's been only a few days since…well, since all of this has happened. I just events are just…What I mean is that the impact of…things are just hitting me."

Asuka blinked, "Yeah…I guess. I mean…it's been what? Not even a week yet since I fought those weird Evas, and you…well, merge with Lilith. Geez, what a life!"

Shinji chuckled, "Yeah. You never know what's gonna happen next."

I, he glanced at her covertly again, _No idea indeed…_

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-7:44)

First Municipal Junior High, Tokyo-3

Hikari sat down, her heart fluttering a bit faster than usual, _Today. They said that they would have their answer today._

Hikari fidgeted as she wondered anxiously if the teacher would allow her to go and check quickly, _It's not that big of a deal. All if would have to do is to go to the secretary and ask for the letter. It's not like it would take that long._

_But why do you have to go now? The letter will be there whenever you go to get it. It's not like you have anything to worry about._

_But…I want to know!_

_Know what? You said it yourself: They can't possibly refuse. There isn't a reason in the whole why you wouldn't get it._

_I…I suppose you're right. It's just…It's just that I want to know, so I can put Mitsuda out of my mind…Him and his dirty…offer…_

"Hey!" Toji suddenly appeared next to her.

She nearly jumped out of her seat, but managed to not make a fool of herself, "Oh, hi Toji."

"I wanted to thank you for watching Sakura last night," he smiled, "She _claimed_ to not give you any trouble…"

"Oh no," Hikari assured him, "She was fine…Well, maybe she made one or two comments, but nothing too out of hand."

"I thought so," Toji nodded, "She _is_ my sister, so fact that she claimed to be guiltless either means she thought she was, or she was a real hellion."

"Oh no," she shook her head, "She was well behaved. Oh, we did see you on TV."

"Yeah, that's what she said," Toji nodded, "And supposedly, NERV and the U.N. are going to deliver whatever story they concocted today, too."

"You don't think they'll tell the truth?" Hikari frowned.

"I wouldn't," Toji snorted, "Besides, we have to keep anything about the Angels under wraps. At least until they make it back."

"Good morning," Rei greeted them as she entered.

"Hey Rei," Toji waved as he smiled mischievously, "Rumor has it you have another date with Kensuke tonight."

Rei flustered, "It…it is not a date. He is merely helping me with my homework because I was unable to attend a large portion of school before the Rebirth."

"Yeah sure," Toji smiled broadly, "Call it what you will."

Rei suddenly had an idea. She returned Toji's impish smile, "Even if what you say is true, I'm not the only one in this position."

"Huh?" Toji and Hikari gaped, than suddenly became aware of how close they were to each other.

Toji made rather large step away, his face burning as Rei chuckled, "I'm sorry, but I must go and sit down."

"She…she's evil!" Toji declared. Hikari didn't say anything, entirely too embarrassed to snap a retort at Toji's remark as Shinji and Asuka entered.

"What's wrong with you two?" Asuka blinked, a look of bemusement playing on her face.

"Err….nothing!" Toji said hurriedly.

"Right, nothing!" Hikari finally managed to speak.

"Sure…"Asuka rolled her eyes, "And I'm dating Shinji."

At that, Hikari's eyes threatened to pop out as Shinji made a strange gurgling noise. Toji merely twitched.

Before anyone could say something, Mr. Uchida entered, "Ah, good morning!"

"Rise, Bow, Sit!" Hikari snapped automatically.

"Ah, Mr. Ikari, Mr. Suzuhara, Ms. Soryu," the teacher smiled cheerfully, "How nice of you to volunteer to return the class's tests to them."

"Yes sir!" they snapped, accepting the load of papers from him.

As Asuka went through her stack her mind rattled around her head like a loose pop can, _What was I thinking!_ 'And I'm dating Shinji.' _Where did _that_ come from! Did I say that because that's something that'll never happen?_

_Who says it won't?_

Asuka tried to not faint as she handed a test to a student, _I thought I was losing it for a while, but now I know that I've gone and _lost_ it!_

_I wonder what Shinji thinks of this?_ a stray thought blew through her troubled mind. A thought, she realized, that really wouldn't have occurred to her a few days ago.

_Maybe that's why,_ she mused, _He did help me, and I did let him in. Maybe thinking that he's attractive is natural…_

**_Attractive_**! _I must be out of my pocking mind! Where did that treacherous thought come from!_

_Just come down_, she told herself as she finished her menial task, _Just relax. It's not like anything well ever come of this…_

_How do you know!_

_Well, I guess I don't. But would it be that bad?_

Asuka blinked, slightly shocked at herself because she couldn't answer.

Shinji glanced nervously at Asuka as Class 2-A headed for the cafeteria, attempting to figure out what Asuka had meant by her comment. Part of him wondered if it had been a jab at Toji, who continued to pester them. But he also had to wonder what she was thinking to make a comment like that.

_You could ask…_

_But…_

_What? You afraid of what it might mean?_

He shook himself, _No! Well…maybe…_

_Heh. Look, you won't have any idea until you ask. You would know if this was the old Asuka, but this isn't._

Shinji grimaced; yes, he did know what the old Asuka would have meant by that. She would have probably have hit him too, just because. But…but she wasn't like that anymore.

As they sat down at the table, Shinji, as casually a possible, turned to her, "So…umm…Just out of curiosity…"

"Ah, it was just shock value," Asuka replied quickly, her face slightly red.

"Ah," he nodded, "Okay."

"So you want to go shopping after school?" she asked, deliberately changing the topic.

"Huh?" he blinked.

"Come on!" she insisted, "We've been busy for a week, well, weeks if you count from before the Rebirth, and I haven't gone shopping in forever! You can come along to carry the bags."

"Oh great," he rolled his eyes.

"Come on," she elbowed him, "You need some new clothes anyways. Some of them are getting small on you…" she trailed off, blushing slightly, "That is…I noticed that…well you _are_ fourteen and a half…"

Shinji nodded as he smiled nervously, "Uh, yeah. I guess I do need some new clothes."

"Good grief," Toji rolled his eyes, "You two are getting worse by the day! Now you're newlyweds that _aren't_ fighting!"

They both blushed furiously before Asuka snapped back, "Look who's talking you…" She broke off as she scanned the cafeteria, "Hey, where's Hikari?"

"You mean Toji's girlfriend?" Kensuke grinned as he slid on the bench seat.

"She is not…" Toji bit out as his face colored.

"Oh be quiet," Asuka grunted, "There she is."

Hikari walked over the table and sighed as she sat down, "The secretary in the office is out for lunch."

"Huh?" the rest of circle of friends blink.

"Oh…I just…I went to the office to get a document, but now I have to wait until after school, that's all," she explained quickly.

"Ah," they nodded as Rei joined them and sat next to Kensuke.

"So," he turned to her as he bit into his apple, "What time will you be over?"

"What's that?" Asuka turned.

"Ah…Kensuke is going to help me with my algebra," Rei said, attempting to maintain her composer. It was disconcerting that she kept losing it.

"Really…" she smiled, a twinkle in her eye, "Our tests aren't until Tuesday. You sure this isn't just an excuse to spend more time with the geek?"

Before Rei or Kensuke could retort, Toji raised an eyebrow, "This coming from the one that invited Shinji to go shopping with her?"

Asuka glared at him as she opened her lunch bag, "In case you forgot, we're living together…"

Toji chuckled, "You realize how that sounded, don't you?"

Asuka stared daggers him, "You know what I mean!"

"You know," Hikari spoke, "You _could_ move out. I mean, you are emancipated."

"Ah…" Shinji and Asuka blinked, glancing at Hikari, than back at each other.

"It's not really possible," Rei told her, "There is a…shortage of rentable apartments. Even the rooms in my apartment building are full."

"Why is this happening?" Toji asked, "I remember you mentioned it earlier, but I still can't figure out why."

"It's because of technology and industry," Kensuke answered, "All of the old cities are sixteen years behind everyone else. That and all of the employees of these cities aren't on a payroll, unless the entirety of the business's operation was _in_ the city. Just because the Angels restored everything to the way it was doesn't been that it will just fit in again. The pieces are there, but the puzzle has changed."

"So everyone that can is moving to a new city…" he nodded slowly, "I see…Wow. I wonder how the brass is gonna cover this up in…How many days do we have?"

The table went quiet for moment, when Shinji answered, "Including today? Twenty-Five."

"Geez," he shook his head, "Sometimes I forget that this is just the calm before the storm."

"Right…" Shinji nodded.

"Oh, by the way," Asuka said changing the topic, "Misato and Ryoji are coming back today. So we should get them something."

"Oh right," Toji blinked, "Did you hear if they found them?"

"Yep," Asuka nodded, "NERV's bringing all of the scientists in and is gonna debrief them. And from what I hear," she said in a hushed tone, "They're going to get instructions on…well, on stuff that they've been doing for the past sixteen years."

"Huh?" Hikari said, utterly confused.

"Oh, I get it!" Kensuke pounded the table, "All the technology has to be explained as well! So…"

"So they have to rewrite history," Asuka finished, and shook her head, "It gonna be interesting in history class next week."

Toji sighed as he wiped his hands and headed back to the classroom. Everyone, well…except for Hikari and himself, had left already. Rei and Kensuke went over his place to study, and Shinji and Asuka had headed for the mall, while he was stuck emptying the trash. Oh well. He was spending time with Hikari.

He shook his head, grinning slightly_, I probably like her more than I admit to myself, let alone anyone else…but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy her company._

_You know, it would be so bad if you admitted it…_

_But why now? I mean, sure I like her, but…but now isn't a good time…_

_Why not?_

_Why not? Because my life is complicated enough already! I'm an Eva pilot who had to save the world, plus I have to take care of my little sister! _

_You're just making excuses._

Toji sighed. He never really seemed to win these arguments…It just that he…he didn't really want to have make a commitment right now. And knowing Hikari, that's exactly what she would want.

_But why don't you want to make one?_

Toji groaned at himself, _Enough of this…I have things to do._

Hikari stared at the letter in her hand. The secretary had stopped by the homeroom on her way out and given it to her. Hikari had thanked her and opened it as calmly as possible.

Now she was just trying to keep herself from crying.

_It's not fair!_ she trembled as she clutched the letter, _Why did they refuse my request? They had no reason to! Why…why is this happening to me?_

She wanted to scream, to curse the principal, the school broad, Mr. Mitsuda and the whole world for destroying her life. But she couldn't. She just felt so tired…so regretful…she just wanted to fade away and leave everything behind…

"Hey Hikari!" Toji entered, "I finished dumping the trash."

"Huh?" she shook herself, trying to jolt herself out of her sudden depression, "Oh, okay. Umm…I think that's it…"

"Hikari?" Toji frowned, "What's wrong?"

"What?" she panicked and turned away, "Nothing's wrong!"

"Hikari…" Toji said warningly.

"It…it's nothing, okay?" she snapped, crumpling the letter.

"Really? Than give me the paper," he challenged.

"Wha…why?" she paled.

"Hikari," he walked up to her and held out his hand, "The paper."

"Toji this isn't any of your business," she said weakly.

Toji nodded kindly, "I know. The paper, please."

She swallowed hard, than slowly handed it to him before walking over to the teacher's desk.

Toji glanced at her before quickly reading through the letter. He frowned, "A request for special permission to work? Why would you need that?"

"Ah…no reason," she answered nervously, "You know…things have been getting a little more expensive…so I thought that a little extra income would be a good idea…but, I have to go now…" she started to head for the door when Toji caught her by the arm.

"Toji!" she squeaked.

"Hikari…" he sighed, "What do you need the extra money for?"

"It's nothing impor−" she tried to pull away.

"Hikari," his eyes flashed, "What?"

She was blushed furiously as she tried to pull away again, but than gave up, "My…my rent is up a little, okay."

"How much?" he asked sharply.

"It's…" she trailed off.

"Hikari," he placed his other hand on her shoulder, "How much?"

She sighed, "I…I won't be able to afford it much longer."

"How much longer?"

"If…If I pull all of my savings…I'll be able to make the next three or four payments, but that's it…"

"_What_!" he cried, "That much! That's outrageous!"

"I know…but what can I do?" her eyes started to water, "There aren't any other apartments that I find and afford! I don't have any real options left!"

"Hikari…" he sighed as he shook his head, but than glanced at her suspiciously, "What do you mean by no _real_ options?"

Hikari froze as Mitsuda's…offer came to the forefront, "N−Nothing! I just…I just don't know what to do, Toji!" she tried to keep herself from crying, but tears were starting to trickle down her face.

"Come on," he smiled faintly, "It can't be that bad. Between all of us, we'll figure something out."

Hikari looked up at him, "Toji, I…it's a nice thought, but what can be done? I…I just can't keep my apartment…" she swallowed, "I guess Midori and Ayumi will be alright in foster care…"

"No way!" Toji snapped, "I am _not_ letting that happen!"

"Toji?" she blinked at his ferocity.

"Hikari, I'm in the same boat as you, remember? And I know for sure that giving up your sisters to government to take care of them is the last thing you want to do. And by thunder, I'm going to help you!" he declared.

Hikari couldn't help but smile. This was the Toji that she knew was in there. The one that she…that she cared for, and the reason that she put up with the other one all the time. She did it for this Toji.

"I just have to think," Toji said, thinking out loud, "There has got to be a viable solution…" he turned to her, "We could all chip in. You know, to pay your rent."

She shook her head, "That nice of you Toji…but I can't. Not just because I don't want to be leech off of all of you, but because if…when the government found out, I wouldn't be allowed to keep my sisters because I wouldn't be self-sufficient through officials means. And money from your fiends is not official means."

"Oh," he sighed, "Well…there has to be other way. Maybe we should call Shinji and Asuka and…" He stopped as the wildest and craziest idea formulated in his head.

_She'll never go for that_! a part of him protested.

_She doesn't have a choice!_

_There has to be another way!_

_But this at least will give us time…_

Toji sucked up his courage and looked at her, "I…have another idea."

Hikari blinked, "Well, what is it?"

"I…I uh, know a place where you and your sisters could stay for a while…as long as you need really. Until another solution can be found, that is."

"Where is this place," she raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Neverland?"

"Ah…no," he smiled, "My place."

"_What_!"

"Now, just hear me out," he said quickly as Hikari's cherry red face seemed ready to explode, "It's not like this is anything new around here; Shinji and Asuka are sharing an apartment…"

"And Misato Katsuragi is there too!" she protested.

"For how much longer? She's engaged to Ryoji Kaji, remember? I heard from Shinji that she plans on moving into his apartment, and leaving them their current residence."

"But…but…" she sputtered.

"I know, I know," he nodded, "The situation would be sticky at best…but I'm sure that all of the students and staff here would understand, especially since this is just a _temporary_ situation because of your landlord. And my neighbors know me well enough to know that nothing…unseemly would be going on. Not to mention we wouldn't be alone; we would have three little girls there, too."

"But what about…" her blush deepened as she tried to speak.

"Ah. That. Don't worry," he smiled, "Sakura's room is big enough for your sisters to squeeze in. And we can easily convert my dad's old study into a room for you. It's nothing to worry about."

"Yes…but…but how is this different than charity?"

"Simple. You couldn't afford you're old apartment, so you moved into my, where you _are_ able to afford the rent."

"Yes, but…what about…if the school finds out, they'll tell Social Services. And also what about the case officer?"

"Well…we could have Kensuke change your address for you!" he said.

"Toji…" she started.

"Hey, what else can we do? And I'm sure that Mr. Himura will understand."

"But…"

"Hikari, it's alright," he reassured her, "I'm sure that Ken will be able to handle it…and that our ever-helpful case officer will understand."

She opened her mouth, than closed it and nodded slowly, still having reservations, but knowing that she didn't really have a choice.

"Good," he raised an eyebrow, "Besides, you don't have any other _real_ options, do you?"

She blushed at that and nodded.

"Alright, I'm sure that we can get the gang to help you move out this weekend, okay?" he clapped her on the shoulder, "Oh and one more thing."

"What?" she asked in her still dazed state.

"I want something…in exchange for my generosity," he smiled broadly.

Her eyes widened as her mouth twisted, but he continued before he could speak, "You," he pointed her nose, "will do the cooking."

She stared him incredulously for a moment, than slugged him in the arm, "Toji Suzuhara, I'm going to kill you!"

He chuckled as she stared at him severely before she too started to chuckle. It was only a few seconds before both of them were laughing hysterically.

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-16:20)

Toyko-3 Uptown Mall, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Well, what do you think?" Asuka asked, holding up the two shirts.

"Why are you asking me, again?" Shinji asked as he look around nervously, feeling very out of place in the women's department, _I never should have let her drag me in here…_

She sighed, "That again? Listen, _lots_ of guys help girls pick out clothes!"

"Yeah," he reddened slightly, "but most of them are _couples_."

She blushed at that, glancing about for any observers before looking back at him, "Oh well, so what? We're…friends, so what's the big deal? Now, the blue one or the green one?"

"Ah…" he shook his head, "Blue, I guess."

"Okay," she turned to replace the green shirt, when Shinji started to laugh, "What?"

"Oh, sorry," he said, trying to control his mirth, "It's just that…well no wonder everyone was asking who you were and what had you done with the real Asuka Langley Soryu."

"Huh?"

"Look at us," he waved his hand, "We're having a conversation; you're seriously asking my opinion; we haven't had a spat in days. If _I_ didn't know any better, I'd think you were a replacement, too."

"Oh," she said, seeming dejected.

"Asuka…I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, "It's just…it just is a little…well, weird."

"Ah, I see," her face brighten, "Well, alright. I can live with that."

Shinji glanced at his watch, "I wonder if Misato is back yet. I never got a confirmed time."

"We could call," Asuka suggested.

"I was thinking that we should head home," Shinji said, "I mean, aren't you done yet?"

"What about you?" she protested, "You've barely gotten anything!"

"I've gotten six shirts, three pair of pants, and a few other miscellaneous items!" he countered, "How is that 'barely anything'?"

"You have no idea how to truly shop," she sniffed, "Fine, let's go."

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-16:45)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji and Asuka arrived at the apartment to find that their former guardian had beaten them home, and was none too pleased about it, "What have you two been! I get home with Ryoji and my dad from an exhausting expedition from the bottom of the world, newly frozen over mind you, and what? No one is here to make us dinner!"

In the background, the two pilots noticed Ryoji and an older man in his mid-forties shaking their heads at the display. The older man, presumably Dr. Keitaro Katsuragi, snorted, "Oh come on, Misato; stop terrorizing them! Besides, we've only been here for about five minutes."

"So?" she asked peevishly, than grinned, "Yeah, fine."

Asuka and Shinji glanced at each other than back at her, "Welcome home," they said dryly.

"Ah, now that's the spirit!" she grinned as she sat down next to her father, "Oh, by the way, this is my dad, the illustrious Dr. Keitaro Katsuragi."

"I don't know abut 'illustrious'," he smiled, "And you must be Shinji Ikari, Gendo and Yui's boy. And you would be Asuka Langley Soryu, Kyoko and Gerald daughter, yes?"

Asuka frowned, "You knew my parents?"

"Oh, on a casual basis," he said, "We weren't close, but practically everyone in the field knew one another. I knew your mother and through her, I met your father. Oh, I heard about her…I'm sorry."

Asuka nodded, "Thank you…Anyways, I need to put this away," She indicated her bags.

"Me, too," Shinji said, "I'll get to work on dinner after this."

As both Shinji and Asuka head for their rooms, Misato turned to Ryoji, "Well…she didn't kill him in our absence. A good sign, I think."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Keitaro snorted, "You claimed that Asuka was a vengeful firebrand with a chip on her shoulder. She certainly didn't seem like that."

"She _was_ like take before we left," Misato grunted, "What happened, I don't know."

"Maybe she and Shinji…made up?" Ryoji suggested.

Misato rolled her eyes, "You mind is in the gutter, you know."

"Huh?" Shinji blinked as he walked in.

"Oh, nothing!" she said quickly, "We were…just noticing that Asuka is…well, acting differently."

"Ah," he nodded, "That."

"Well?" Misato asked shortly.

Shinji shrugged, "I've got to get to work on dinner."

"Hey!" she snapped, but he was already through the kitchen doorway.

"Now _that's_ interesting," Ryoji rocked back, "Shinji's being rather tight lipped about it. No doubt Asuka won't say anything either."

"Maybe Rei or Toji know something," she mused.

"You know Misato," Keitaro leaned on his elbow, "I remember a certain teenager a few years back who didn't like anyone poking into her business…but for the life of me, I can't remember her name…What was it…"

"Dad…" she growled.

"Ah, yes!" he said as he caught his fist triumphantly, "I do believe her name was Misato. Coincidence, don't you think?"

"That's nice Dad," she growled, "But I'm an adult."

"So are they," Ryoji pointed out.

"_You_," she snarled, "are supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"I'm just pointing out the facts," he pleaded.

"This is a lively discussion," Asuka snickered as she entered.

"Ah, Asuka," Ryoji smiled, "We were just…noticing that you're acting a bit…different than before."

"I am?" she blinked innocently, "I haven't noticed. Anyways, I'm going to help Shinji in the kitchen."

Misato's face faulted as Asuka smiled sweetly and headed into the kitchen. She turned to Ryoji, "What the crap?"

Asuka was pressed to keep her giggles to below an audible level while Shinji rolled his eyes, "You should have seen their faces!" she whispered.

"Aren't you suppose to be helping me?" he whispered back.

"I am," she protested as she handed him a knife.

"Sure," he rolled his eyes again, "You're just antagonizing them, you know. They're even more suspicious now then they would have been."

"So what?" Asuka shrugged, "If they want to make flawed assumptions, they can."

"True, but Misato might try and get the truth out of you," Shinji warned her, "You want to be visiting a shrink?"

"It's not going to come to that," Asuka assured him, "I may be acting a little out of character, but I'm _stable_."

"If you say so," Shinji shrugged, "But…people will be asking questions; between Misato and Dr. Akagi, someone upstairs is going to notice that your behavior has suddenly changed."

"Yeah and my piloting has improved dramatically," she retorted, "I doubt that the commander will care. Heck, he doesn't even care about y−" She stopped suddenly, shame and embarrassment plain on her face, "Shinji…I…"

"It's okay," he said calmly, "I know: He doesn't even care about me. I'm use to it."

"But you…Shinji, I know what that feels like, so don't go and pretend to shake it off!" she snapped quietly, glancing at the kitchen doorway.

Shinji smiled faintly, "I know…It hurts, but…But there isn't much I can do about it. Besides, with everything that's happened…I'm used to it."

Ryoji sniffed at the plate of food that Shinji set down, while Asuka set down a stack of plates.

"Looks good," the elder Katsuragi grinned, "I haven't had good eating since…well since before you two were born!"

"Dad!" Misato cringed.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she grunted, "I'm just trying to use to you being alive."

"Hey, I was dead, too!" Ryoji said.

"You," she eyed, "were dead for a few weeks."

"Time means nothing to the dead," Keitaro grinned, "But fine; no more death references."

Dinner continued smoothly, Misato apparently was continuing to fill her father in on her life; Keitaro would occasionally ask her a question and Ryoji would butt in every so often to 'correct' the story. Shinji and Asuka were generally quiet during the meal, but were glancing at the other individuals at the table and chuckled at the amusing parts.

When they were done, Shinji stood and started to collect the dishes when stood as well, "Here Shinji, I'll give you a hand."

Misato slammed her hand down on the table, startling everyone, "_That's it_! Both of you: Sit!"

"Huh?" the two pilots blinked.

"Now!" she snapped, at which they complied.

"What's this about Misato?" Asuka sighed.

"You," she pointed accusingly at Asuka, "have been acting _really_ weird! I want to know why."

"Then why am I here?" Shinji asked nervously.

"Because both you of know what's going on, and I am going to get it from one of you!" she grinned evilly.

"Geez, Misato," Ryoji chuckled, "Aren't you going a bit far?"

"Ah, that's my daughter," Keitaro grinned, "Never did know how to take no for an answer." Misato glared at them but said nothing.

"So Misato wants to know our dirty little secret Shinji," Asuka smiled evilly.

_Oh no_, Shinji thought, _I know exactly what she's going to do._

Another part of him sighed, _Might as well help. She'll thank me for it later._

"I guess so, Asuka," Shinji attempted the same grin, much to the horror of their CO.

"What did you two do?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Why Misato," Asuka held her head up as tall as possible, "Myself and Shinji…we…made up."

Misato stared at them, frozen in time as she attempted to rediscover the ability of speech while Asuka and Shinji nearly dropped to floor in laughter.

"Made…up?" Ryoji blinked, "I guess…I always preferred another type of made…" He trailed off as he received a look from his future father-in-law.

Misato finally managed to snap out of her shocked state, "You…You're lying."

"What?" Asuka blinked.

"You wouldn't have made up with him," Misato stated, "Not without something else happening to you. And besides, that doesn't explain your change of attitude. I want to know that that was."

"Whatever it was, Misato," Shinji said calmly, "It had nothing to do with me."

"He's right," Asuka confirmed, "Why, you think that something happened between us?"

"Arrgg," Misato grunted, "Fine, whatever. Go." They stood and took the dishes in to the kitchen.

"Well…" Ryoji smiled.

"Well what?" she looked at him.

"I'll admit that I was thinking the same thing as you were…but I guess not."

"Well…in any event, they're too young for that sort of thing."

Keitaro Katsuragi chuckled, "Ah, I see. Oh!" he blinked as Pen-Pen exited his fridge, "What's this?"

"Oh, Pen-Pen, you're up!" Misato smiled, forgetting her interrogation.

"Wark!"

"Say hello to my dad," she pointed.

The penguin regarded the elder man for a moment, "Wark, wark!"

"And hello to you too, Pen-Pen," he laughed, "I see that you've managed to collect a few odd characters in your little household, Misato."

"Wark!"

"That was hilarious," Asuka grinned broadly as she on her bed.

"Yeah," Shinji agreed, "But I doubt she's done with the matter."

"Yeah, yeah," she waved him off, "But I'm not too keen on telling anyone." She glanced at him, "You won't talk to anyone, right?"

"Of course not," he snorted.

"But what if someone pressures you?"

"I…I said I wouldn't, didn't I?"

"Ah, yes!" Asuka said triumphantly, "My Shinji's got a backbone!"

"_Your_ Shinji?" he blushed.

"Ah…that is…" she colored and looked around nervously when the phone rang, "Hello?"

"Hey Asuka, it's Hikari."

"Oh hi, Hikari!" Asuka smiled, attempting to regain her composer as Shinji started to leave.

"Umm…what are you and Shinji doing on Saturday?" she asked nervously.

"Me and Shinji on Saturday?" she repeated, stopping Shinji.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Well…I need a favor from you guys," she continued.

"Sure, what?" she asked, "And why are you so nervous?"

_Hikari? Nervous? Something on Saturday?_ Shinji's mind whirled.

"Ah…I'm…Ah, I'm moving," she stammered.

"Moving!" Asuka exclaimed.

"Huh, what? Why? Where?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, is Shinji there?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, he's here," Asuka glanced.

"But…isn't this phone in your bedroom?" she asked meekly.

"Ah…yeah, but we were just chatting, that's all!" she said quickly.

"Oh…okay…"

"Hikari, why are you moving?" Asuka asked.

"Umm…my rent…I can't afford it."

"But…" Asuka blinked, "_Where_ are you going to move?"

"Ah…Umm…"

"Hikari…"

"I'm…uh, that is, me and my sisters are…umm…moving…"

"Hikari!"

"In with the Suzuharas," she answered.

"The…Suzuharas?" Asuka said, horrified.

"Toji's place?" Shinji paled.

"It−It's only temporary!" she insisted.

"But…But why are you moving in with _him_!"

"It's not just _him_!" she insisted, "His sister is there too!"

"Sounds like she still has her reservations," Shinji commented from the tone. Asuka nodded.

Hikari sighed as she continued, "Asuka…I don't really have a choice. It's either with Toji and Sakura, or…or I have to give up Midori and Ayumi."

"Can't you get a job?" Asuka asked.

"No," Hikari bit out, "The school refused my request."

"Oh," Asuka said, "I see…Well, we can help. Right Shinji?"

"Huh? Oh, right! No problem!"

"Thanks," Hikari said.

"And Hikari…if you want me to talk to Toji…" Asuka added.

"It's okay! Really, Asuka," Hikari said, "He…He's just trying to help me, that's all. He's in the same situation with Sakura as I am with my sisters."

"Alright…" Asuka relented, "See you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

Shinji looked at Asuka, "Well…this is…unexpected."

"Considering that she thought we were 'living in sin' the first time she came over," Asuka nodded, "But I guess she doesn't really have a choice."

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-17:38)

Aida Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"What!" Kensuke gapped, causing Rei to look up from her book.

"You hear me," Toji said over the phone, "Hikari and her sisters are moving in on Saturday. You can help, right?"

"Ah…sure. I guess. But…"

"But why? Because her rent went up…and from what I gleaned from the conversation, her landlord's…offer of assistance wasn't a good one."

"But…why doesn't she try and get permission to get a job?"

"She tried that…They refused; why I don't know. It's just one of their high and mighty judgments. So can you help?"

Kensuke blinked than shrugged, "Okay…I think I remember where her place is…either way, I can look it up in the school computers."

"Oh Ken, one more thing," Toji said suddenly, "Can you…alter her address…"

"You mean, can I hack the school computers and change it without her having to go to the school office with this?"

"That and a few other places…like Social Services."

"Sure," he grinned, "Not a problem." He hung the phone up and sat down across from Rei.

She glanced at him, "What is going on?"

"Huh? Oh Hikari's moving in with Toji…" Rei's eyes widened.

"Ah…along with her sisters," Kensuke added, "She can't afford the rent."

"Oh…I see," she said slowly.

"Umm…" Kensuke glanced at her, "You want to help?"

"Help?" she cocked her head.

"Help with the moving," he elaborated, "on Saturday. You aren't busy are you?"

"I…do not believe so. Normally, I would think that we would be at NERV, but Dr. Akagi needs time to process through all of the data she has accumulated."

"Ah…sounds like she needs help," Kensuke said.

"That's what she has been…ranting about."

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-17:40)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

"**_Ikari_**!" Dr. Ritsuko Akagi bellowed as she threw open the door to the commander's office.

"Doctor Akagi," he replied calmly.

"I've told you, _repeatedly_, that I need an assistant! So where is he? Or she, I don't care!" she snapped.

"Doctor…everyone in NERV that is qualified and authorized to see that data is occupied…"

"Than get someone else!"

"Doctor…whoever sees this data will have to be informed about the Angels…"

"So?" Akagi snarled, "I don't need a scientist or some brainiac! I need someone to _process_ data!"

"Doctor…it is a matter of security," Ikari said coldly, "_If_ you can find a qualified individual with proper clearance, than we shall see. So long as the individual is not being pulled from somewhere else."

_I…am…going…to…kill…_Akagi seethed.

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-18:22)

Aida Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke discreetly glanced at the clock and winced, _Why was she still here? Sure she wasn't _hurting_ anything…and it was a little more pleasant having company than being alone…_

He turned to her, "So…how is it going Rei?"

Rei glanced at him, "It is going fairly well…I think I'm nearly done."

"Okay," he got up, "I'm going to take care of Toji's request; if you need any help, just ask."

She nodded as he went over the computer, _He is annoyed with me._

_Not necessarily…though you have been here for several hours now._

Rei grimaced, _I don't want him to be upset with me…but…but…_

_You don't want to go back to the apartment._

She sighed, _No._

Rei sat her pencil down and looked over at Kensuke, "What are you going to do?"

"Huh? Oh…Just make a few alterations to Hikari's address in some databases."

"You are going to…hack?"

"Ah…sure, you can call it that," he shrugged.

"That is illegal," she said.

"Well, if you don't say anything, I won't," he grinned, "Seriously…I'm not getting into anything classified…I'm just making a few changes so Hikari doesn't have to explain to the principal that she's living with Toji. It may be their fault, but they'll still frown on it."

"Why is it their fault?" Rei asked as she walked over.

"Because," he said as he rapidly typed, "they refused her request to work."

"I see…" Rei nodded.

"And if the school finds out, they could recommend that the government remove her sisters from her care," Kensuke added, "Of course, I have to hack their database too. Toji and Hikari both have the same case officer, so they'll have to deal with him separately…but if the higher ups find out, it's over anyway."

"I see…but what if you get caught?"

Kensuke shrugged, "I'm helping my friends, Rei; it's worth the risk. Besides, who could catch me?"

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-18:48)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

"What's this?" Akagi blinked as she set her coffee down as her computer chirped.

"Oh goody," she smiled darkly, "I needed to burn off some frustration." A hacker in _her_ system. What fun.

"Come little chickadee," she tapped her keyboard, "where will you go?"

As she observed the hacker 'moving' through her system, she had to admit that 'he' was pretty good. Unfortunately for him, she had the Magi Server Network.

"What are you up to?" she blinked in surprise as he bypasses the last of the frontal security, but didn't proceed into the more heavily protected files. Instead he carefully sifting through some unimportant data…and then he went for his target.

"The Address database?" she frowned, _What was he after? That wasn't even the NERV personal address…it was…_

"What?" she blinked. It happened fast, faster than she had expected: He had _altered_ an address…Hikari Horaki.

"What?" she exclaimed, "What's going on here?" she grunted as she put the Magi to work, _Let's see who you are…_

Wednesday, January 07, 2016 (Day 5-19:01)

Aida Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Okay, I'm done," Kensuke smiled.

"I see," Rei nodded.

"You done with the algebra?" he asked as he stood.

"Umm…" she flustered.

"It's okay," he assured her, "See if I have any ice cream left, okay? I've gotta take a leak."

She blinked as he quickly ran to the bathroom. She sat there for a moment, than made her way to the kitchen.

_He is a rather odd person_, she thought as she opened the freezer, _What he said earlier…about his friends:_ 'I'm helping my friends, Rei; it's worth the risk'…

She sighed, _I wonder if I'll ever be such a friend to anyone._

_He called you his friend…_

Rei blinked, _That's right…I wonder…_

The phone ranged, disrupting Rei's thought process.

After a moment of hesitation, she answered it, "Hello?

"_Rei_!" Dr. Akagi responded sharply.

"Dr. Akagi? What is it?"

"Umm…this is Mr. Kensuke Aida's number, right?"

"That is correct," Rei frowned, "Why are you calling."

"Who is it, Rei?" Kensuke asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Dr. Akagi from NERV," she answered, handing the phone to him.

"Hello?" he said somewhat hesitantly.

"Mr. Aida," Akagi sighed.

"Yes?"

"Do you just happen to be hacking into a database?"

"_What_?" he gagged.

"I take that as a yes," she chuckled, "Congratulations, you just managed to catch my attention."

"Great…umm…"

"Listen Mr. Aida…I don't know why you thought it necessary to change Ms. Horaki's address…or to where…but I have a proposition for you…"


	11. Chapter 11: And on the Other Side

Chapter 11: …And on the Other Side…

Thursday, January 08, 2016 (Day 6-7:43)

First Municipal Junior High, Tokyo-3

"_What_!" Asuka stared, disbelieving what she had just heard.

"It's true," Kensuke grinned, "I'm now Dr. Akagi's assistant."

"As improbable as this is," Rei joined in, "I was there when she made the offer."

"Ah…" Shinji rocked on his heels, "Well, that's unexpected. Why?"

"Huh?" Kensuke flinched.

Shinji frowned, but pressed the question, "Why did Dr. Akagi ask _you_? And how did she even know…"

"Umm…" he rubbed his neck while he grinned idiotically.

"You didn't…"

"He did," Asuka snorted, "You got caught hacking into NERV, didn't you?"

"Ah…" he grimaced, "Yeah…"

"Why were you hacking into NERV?" Shinji stared.

"Ah…" he glanced over at Toji and Hikari before returning to them, "Toji asked me to…alter Hikari's address so it would be…off the record that she's living with Toji."

"I see…" Asuka nodded, "I guess Toji isn't a brainless ape after all."

"Asuka…" Shinji sighed.

She twisted her lips as she looked away, "Yeah, I know…"

Kensuke decided that it was in his best interest to not make a comment at that point as the teacher entered, "Good morning."

"Rise, Bow, Sit!"

Thursday, January 08, 2016 (Day 6-11:32)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

"You want a child to help you?" Gendo Ikari raised an eyebrow.

"He's as much a child as the rest of the pilots," Ritsuko Akagi pointed out, "And he has prior knowledge of both the Angels and Eva. And he's exactly what I need in terms of an assistant."

The Commander of NERV glared at her for a moment than shook his head, "I'm still not convinced that he is trustworthy with the knowledge that he would be handling."

"As opposed to the knowledge of what he already knows?" she countered, "At _least_ this way, he'll be under our watch."

He glanced away for a moment, than back at her, "Very well. Besides, I don't have time to argue; I have another meeting with the U.N."

"It could be worse," Ritsuko smiled bitterly, "It could be SEELE."

Misato sighed as she sat down and regarded her father, "Are you sure you can't stay longer?"

"Sorry," he shook his head, "but I have to get to work and help with the fabrication. Plus I also want to see my work on the Super Solenoid Engine finished."

"Dad…" she whined.

"I know, I know," he waved his hands, "And I _am_ sorry. But you're going to be busy yourself. This is the 6th day, yes?"

"I know," she swallowed, "I just…"

He reached over and rubbed her head, "I promise to call and write, okay? It won't be like last time, I promise. And I _will_ be back before the wedding to help you with it. Okay?"

"Thanks, Dad," she smiled.

"I hate to break in," Ryoji said as he entered, "But the meeting with the U.N. is starting…"

"Thanks, Ryoji," he nodded as he stood, "I'll see you before I leave; we can have a late lunch together."

"Right," Misato said, "I'll see you in the cafeteria."

"Good morning Dr. Katsuragi," Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki smiled as the other man stepped into the elevator.

"Kozo you old bird!" he smiled, "I heard that you were here, but I could scarcely believe that you'd leave the University!"

"There wasn't much of a University left after the Impact," he sighed.

"Ah," Keitaro nodded, "And do call me Keitaro, would you? I mean, we _are _colleagues, aren't we?"

"I suppose, Keitaro," Kozo nodded, "It's still hard to believe that we're talking after all these years."

"Indeed," he nodded as the elevator stopped. They exited and were met by Ikari.

"Dr. Katsuragi," the Commander of NERV nodded.

"Commander Ikari."

"Sir, the council is online," an officer informed him.

"Very good." They entered the room and sat as the Holo-Projectors came online.

"Ah, good morning Commander Ikari," Secretary Pavlov greeted them, "and to you Commander Fuyutsuki, Dr. Katsuragi."

"Good day, Mr. Secretary," Dr. Katsuragi nodded.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that nearly all of the government of Earth are already…rewriting their histories. Publishers have been contacted and general notices have been posted online. Soon the only knowledge of the Angels' activities will be confined to most secure data storage bases."

"Good," Ikari nodded, "What about the other things?"

"Ah, yes. The records of the new cities constructions have been altered and the old cities are all being renovated and having various bits of information being manufactured. As for the technologies…"

"Heh," Katsuragi nodded, "I've already contacted my colleagues. I'll be heading over to America to 'oversee' a test that will have occurred a few years ago."

"We're fortunate that you and your other colleagues that had been lost on Antarctica will be able to assist," Mr. Sanders spoke.

"Indeed," Ikari nodded, "Now than, we also must discuss in detail how the Evangelions were supposedly created and why…"

Thursday, January 08, 2016 (Day 6-15:27)

Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke Aida grinned broadly as the security officer glanced over his information. Nodding, the officer handed him his ID card and emergency procedures book.

"Good luck kid," he chuckled as Kensuke walked over to the waiting group.

"I'm still having a hard time believing this," Asuka said.

"Me too," Toji agreed as he swiped his card.

"So what's it like?" Kensuke asked as they boarded the elevator to head down.

"Huh? You mean the Geo-Front?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Asuka smiled as she leaned on the wall next to Shinji and turned to face the window, "It's pretty impressive the first time you see it."

"No kidding," Shinji nodded, "Of course, the first time I saw it, I was a little out of it; what with the Angel attacking and having had Misato drive me."

"That's enough to give you a cardiac arrest," Asuka grunted, "How that woman ever got her license…" The elevator exited the enclosed area and was now flying down the clear tube towards NERV HQ.

"_Holy crap_!" Kensuke gapped as he stared out the window.

"Yeah…" Toji nodded.

"What do you think of this, Rei?" Kensuke asked.

Rei was startled by the question, blinking as she looked out the window, "I…I have seen this many more times than any of you; ever since I was a small child. But…Yes, I think it is an impressive site as well."

Asuka glanced from Rei to Kensuke and back, "You know…You sure are talkative around him, Rei…" Both of them blushed furious.

"I…" Kensuke raised his hands

Rei looked away "We…"

"Well?" Asuka smiled maliciously.

Kensuke gritted his teeth, "Yeah well, what about you and Shinji, huh? You two seem pretty cozy!"

Shinji and Asuka flushed as at they realized how close they were, and leaped away from each other.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Asuka protested.

"It's not like that!" Shinji added.

Meanwhile, Toji was laughing so hard, it was difficult for him to stay standing, "Oh man! Hahahahahaha! I−Hahahahahaha−I'm surrounded−Hehehehehehee−surrounded by _newlyweds_!"

The two accursedly couples glared at him before they lashed out.

Ryoji Kaji hummed as he tapped his clipboard as he watched the elevator indicator tick down. When it dinged and the doors slid open he smiled and waved, "Hey gu−Huh?"

The five teens piled out of the elevator, all with burning faces.

"Something wrong?" he asked as he glanced at each of them, Huh, even Rei…

"Some may be wrong with the Air Conditioning," Rei said quickly.

"Yeah, it was really warm in there," Shinji said.

"Extremely uncomfortable," Kensuke agreed.

"It was brutal," Toji added.

"Scorching," Asuka said with finality.

Kaji scratched his head, "Okay…I'll let maintenance know. Anyways…Aida? Dr. Akagi gave me this pad to give to you. It has directions that'll take to you her workstation. The rest of you are to suit up for testing. You won't be exiting the Geo-Front, though."

"Where's Misato?" Shinji asked.

"She's saying goodbye to her dad," he explained, "He's headed to America to work on the S2 Engine. Anyways, she'll be back shortly."

He turned headed down the corridor, "I'll see you guys later!"

"Brutal, huh?" Asuka looked at Toji, "It's still true."

"Hey, it's not like Hikari has a choice!" he defended himself.

"Enough of this," Shinji waved his hands, "Can't we call a truce?"

"I guess…so long as they don't say anything else!" Asuka snapped.

"Same to you!" Kensuke and Toji retorted.

"Okay then," Shinji nodded, "Let's get going."

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi glanced over at Lieutenant Maya Ibuki thoughtfully, "So do you think that I'm losing my mind for having a kid as my assistant, too?"

"I…" Maya flustered, "I think that if you think that he can handle that, than he can. Probably."

"Remember, Maya," Shigeru Aoba smiled, "He _did_ crack the front-line firewall on the server."

"True."

Akagi tapped her fingers as her thoughts roamed, _If this kid can really help me, than I'll probably be able to head home tomorrow…_

"Hello?" Kensuke Aida popped his head in.

"Morning Mr. Aida," Dr. Akagi greeted him, "Have a seat next to Maya; she'll get you started. For the moment, I'm just going to have you going over some older data while I handle the current stuff from today's test."

"Okay!"

"Well?" Fuyutsuki asked as he entered Akagi's lab.

"Huh?" she blinked as she set down a folder.

"How is Mr. Aida performing?" he asked curiously.

"He's doing better than expected," she told him, "He's managed to run through all of the raw data on 01 and 02 that I hadn't done yet; basically he's nearly cleared my desk from this morning. By next week, we'll be sending data to the rest of the NERV branches on the components real-time."

"I see," Fuyutsuki nodded, "I asked because it came to my attention that…well, Mr. Aida is a hacker. As a matter of fact, he has hacked _our_ servers."

She sighed, "Yes sir, he has. However, he swears that he has never had malicious intent towards anyone…"

"I see," Fuyutsuki nodded, "Then I suppose that keeping him would be in our interest."

"I would agree sir," Akagi nodded slowly, trying to see the Sub-Commander's point.

"Well…we'd best keep this from Ikari. I doubt that he would appreciate knowing that we have a hacker in our bosom."

"Oh…yes sir."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "If you'll excuse me, Doctor."

"Of course, sir."

Fuyutsuki made his way out, and, on a whim, decided to stop by the Auxiliary Op. Center, where Akagi, Ibuki and Aida had been working.

To his mild surprise, he found Kensuke Aida still working.

"Mr. Aida," he spoke, causing the younger man to nearly fall form his chair.

"Ah! Oh, sir..." he grinned sheepishly.

Fuyutsuki smiled, "Aren't you done for the day?"

"Oh…well, I was waiting for my friends to finish getting dressed, so I decided that I might as well finish some more data."

"I see," Fuyutsuki nodded, "Understandable…"

Kensuke frowned, "Is something wrong? Sir, I mean…"

"Oh, not really," the former professor waved, "It's just…well…" he glanced around conspiratorially, "Let's just say that…well, it would be wise to keep the knowledge that you were a hacker a secret, okay?"

Kensuke paled slightly, _Oh great…someone else knows…._

"Oh, don't worry," Fuyutsuki smiled, "I won't say anything…It's just that Commander Ikari probably…well, let's just keep this under wraps, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Kensuke nodded.

Fuyutsuki turned to leave, but stopped and turned back, "Oh…and, if by chance that, during your surfing of the net, you come across someone that has information posted about the Evas or the Angels, especially the Angels…let's just say that it should be dealt with…D3lt4 L34d3r."

Kensuke's face was nearly see through, but nodded, "Yes sir."

As Fuyutsuki left, Kensuke attempted to get his heart working again, _Holy Crap! He knows my alias! This is bad…very bad…_

_It's not that bad_, another portion of him reasoned, _After all…he said it was okay…just so long as we don't do anything again._

_Unless if I come across anything related to the Evas or Angels, that is_, he corrected himself.

Saturday, January 10, 2016 (Day 8-09:45)

Horaki Apartment (Vacating), Tokyo-3, Japan

Hikari Horaki glanced nervously at her surroundings, than at her two sisters. They looked back at her, slightly nervous about the changes they were about to go through, but also slightly giddy.

'We're going share a room with Sakura!' they had laughed evilly.

_Oh dear_, Hikari thought fretfully, _What am I _doing_! Moving in with a man…_

_Well, it's not just him…he has a sister…_

_But still!_

Hikari wondered if she should just call the whole thing off, apologize to everyone that was coming over to help her move and thank Toji for his offer, but refuse it…

_And then what?_

Hikari sighed: She had no options left; no where to really turn. Admittedly, there _were_ possibilities…but she couldn't ask anyone else to bend over backwards for her.

_You could always call Kodama…_

Hikari shuddered, _No. I told her that I would be fine and that she could go without worrying about anything. I don't need my sister to come running to save me._

_She's going to kill you when she finds out._

_…_

"It'll be okay, Hikari," Midori assured her.

"Huh? Oh, thanks," she sighed, "I just wish it hadn't come to this."

"I know…but there isn't anything else we can really do," Midori shrugged, "Besides, it won't be that bad…"

Midori glanced at her, "You could called Kodama…"

Hikari shook her head, "Midori…"

"I know, I know," she nodded, "You said you'd handle everything and that she needn't worry. I guess you did handle though…"

Ayumi grinned, "Yeah…after all, you'll get to spend a _lot_ more time with Toji…"

"You two are terrible!" Hikari yelled when someone rapped on the door.

Hikari sighed and tried to pull herself together as she opened the door.

"Hey," Toji smiled.

"Hello Toji," Hikari said sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know…" he rolled his eyes, "This is going to be weird…That and I'm assuming your siblings have been harassing you too."

"Yep," she leered over at them than turned back, "So where is Sakura?"

"She's at home, clearing space for you and the girls."

"Okay…"

"Oh! Misato said she'd be by about noon with a van that she's borrowing from NERV."

"Okay…" she said slowly.

"So…" Toji heaved, "About moving…"

"Right," Hikari nodded, "You could…I mean, I could use your help with the rest of the kitchen stuff while my sisters finish with their rooms."

"Right."

"Oh, and Shinji and Asuka should be here soon…and Kensuke said that he'd be here a little after eleven. I don't know when Rei will show up…"

Toji shrugged, "She said yesterday that she'd be here before noon…"

"Okay," Hikari rubbed her hands together, "Let's get this over with."

Mrs. Masaki, a kindly old grandmother who lived on the same floor as the Horakis, glanced questioningly at the odd activity coming from the Horaki's apartment. She was good friends with Hikari and her sisters, admiring them for being able to live as a family despite the tragedy that had killed both of the parents.

So, on her way to the market, she stopped by. She knocked on the door, and, to her surprise, a young man opened the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Excuse me, but is Hikari home?" she asked.

He turned, "Hikari? An old lady wants to talk to you."

"Huh?" Hikari walked over, "Oh, hello Mrs. Masaki!"

Mrs. Masaki smiled, "Hello Hikari; I didn't you that you had found yourself a nice young man…"

Hikari flushed as Toji made a retreat, "I'll, uh…go and finish with the dishes…"

"Coward," she muttered before turned back to Mrs. Masaki, "Oh, Toji…he's ah…he's just a friend from school, Mrs. Masaki…"

"So what's with all the hustle and bustle?" she peered in.

"I…I'm ah…I'm moving…" she admitted.

"Moving? Good heaven, why?"

"I'm afraid that I can't afford the rent…" she sighed.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Masaki blinked, "I know the rent was up…but you really can't afford it? Couldn't you get a job? Or what about your sister…"

"The school refused my request," Hikari grunted, "And…I really don't want to bother her while she's at school; they just started a new quarter after all…So…So I'm moving in with a friend…"

"Oh, I see…" she pulled out a pad and pencil from her purse, "You'll have to give me the number… are you moving in with that fiery red-headed friend of yours? Asuka, wasn't it?"

"Ah…no…" Hikari blushed, "I'm ah…I'm moving in with the Suzuharas."

"Suzuhara? I don't recognize the name…" she frowned, "What was the number?"

"I…I don't remember off the top of my head," Hikari bit her lip.

"Well…I can wait of you can go and get it," she shrugged, "Isn't you're friend that you're moving in with here?"

"Yeah!" Ayumi appeared suddenly, "I'll get the number!"

"Thank you Ayumi," Mrs. Masaki smiled, "Such a good child."

"Right…" Hikari sweated, _Oh crap…She's gonna find out…_

"So who is this friend that you're moving in with?" she inquired.

"Oh…well my friend, umm…my friends' parents also have passed away…"

"Oh dear," she blinked, "Does she live alone than?"

"No…" Hikari said slowly, "There's a younger sister too."

"Oh is she about Midori or Ayumi's age?"

"Here it is!" Ayumi returned, beaming triumphantly and holding a scrap of paper.

"Thanks Ayumi," Hikari said, "Now go and finish your room!"

"Right, but Toji said he had some questions when I got the number from him," Ayumi said as she ran off.

"Toji?" Mrs. Masaki frowned.

"Umm…" Hikari's cheeks started to burn.

"Tell me Hikari…what was your friend's name? The one that you're moving in with?"

"Ah…" Hikari's eyes darted about.

"Was it Toji?" she asked softly.

Hikari heaved a sigh, "…Yes."

"I see," she nodded solemnly, "So you're moving in with a boy?"

"It−It's not what you think!" Hikari insisted, "I…I just don't have any other options…"

"I see," Mrs. Masaki said, and than smiled, "Don't worry, Hikari. Your parents would be proud of the young woman that you've become. You've got a good head on those shoulders, and if you say that this is the last option that you've got…than I believe you. And I also trust that you can trust that boy to respect you as well."

Hikari blushed, but nodded, "Thank you, Mrs. Masaki."

"Don't worry dear," she patted her on the arm, "Call me off and on, alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"But…I really think you should let Kodama know what you're doing."

"…Yes, Ma'am…"

Mr. Mitsuda glanced up as Mrs. Masaki made her way down the stairs. He stood up and walked over, "Excuse me, Mrs. Masaki."

"Yes? What is it, Mr. Mitsuda?"

"I've heard about a large amount of noise from your floor. Do you know what it is?"

She blinked, "Yes, don't you? The Horakis are moving."

"Moving?" he frowned.

"Well…" Hikari glanced around, "Everything's coming together..."

"Yep," Toji said, munching on an apple, "Given you decided that you were moving only a few days ago…"

"I'm still having a hard time accepting it," she grunted, "I can't image how many times I'm going to wake up and wonder where the heck I am…"

"Just so long as we all remember to lock the bathroom," he grinned.

Hikari blushed, but nodded, "Right…"

"Of course," Toji went on, "You can put your…stuff with Sakura's…but, umm…"

Hikari frowned, "What?"

Toji reddened slightly, "Could you…do your own laundry?"

Hikari blinked, and nodded, "Sure, no problem."

"Thanks," he nodded, relieved.

"I mean," Hikari stuttered, "I _could_ do all of the laundry…that is, if you don't care…"

"That's okay," Toji waved, "I mean…I don't want to dump all of the house chores on you…"

"It's fine," she assured, "I mean…besides school, I don't have much to do…you're an Eva pilot; I've got more spare time than you."

"But…well, what about your social life?" Toji asked.

"What social life?" she stared at him, "I'm the Class Rep, not the Queen Bee. Besides you guys…I don't really have too many friends."

"So you won't be having too many people over?" he grinned sardonically.

"That's not funny," she narrowed her eyes, "I'm not planning on _hosting_ anything at…umm…"

"_Our_ apartment?" Toji raised an eyebrow.

Hikari blanched, "I…That sounds really…umm…"

"Yeah," he nodded, "We can call it the Suzuhara/Horaki apartment; kinda like the Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment. Except that'll be the Ikari/Soryu Apartment pretty soon, I think."

"I guess…" Hikari said when someone knocked at the door. She went over to get it quickly, remembering when Toji had answered the door for Mrs. Masaki.

However, the person at the door was the last person that she had wanted to see, "Ms. Horaki," Mr. Mitsuda cocked his jaw, "rumor has it that you're moving."

"Mr. Mitsuda," Hikari said stiffly, "Yes, I am moving. I can't afford your rent for too much longer."

Mr. Mitsuda cleared his throat, "Are you sure that this is necessary? I thought that we could…work something out?"

"What was that?" Toji growled. From what Hikari had told him, he had figured that she had some sort of offer extended to her. From whom and what he didn't really know, but he had a suspicion that if he found out the details, this guy wouldn't be breathing for much longer.

"Ah, I see your…boyfriend is over," he narrowed his eyes, "Are you moving in with him−"

"I'm not her boyfriend," Toji snapped coldly before Hikari could speak, "I'm just a classmate that's over to help her move."

"Mr. Mitsuda," Hikari spoke softly, "I apologize for not informing you earlier…but I don't believe that you'll have any problems finding a new tenet. And besides…where I choose to live, or with whom, is none of your concern."

"Ms. Horaki," he growled, "I think that you're being rather hasty…"

"_Excuse me_!" Asuka Langley Soryu snapped as she stood behind Mr. Mitsuda, who was blocking the door.

Mr. Mitsuda jumped, nearly bashing his head on the doorframe, much to everyone else's disappointment, "Who are you? Nevermind; go away, you're interrupting a landlord/tenet discussion, girl!"

Asuka blinked as she glanced from Hikari to Toji and than to Mr. Mitsuda, who was fuming by now. She than turned to Shinji, who met her look, "Gee Shinji, he doesn't know us. I guess we should introduce ourselves, eh?"

"I don't care−" Mitsuda started when Asuka flashed a card in front of his face.

"My name is Asuka Langley Soryu, and I'm a German-Japanese girl, a student at First Municipal Junior High and…" she grinned as Mitsuda's face became devoid of color, "A member of NERV. So…if you'll set aside and let me into my _friend's_ apartment…," his face seemed on the verge of going transparent, "me and my fellow NERV members…," she waved at Shinji, and Kensuke who had just turned the corner, "are going to help her _pack_."

"Umm…yes, right away," he stuttered as he backpedaled, "Of course Miss…if I can be of any help…"

"I think we can handle it," Toji smiled frostily.

"…Right," he turned and bolted for the stairs.

"I love doing that," Asuka replaced her NERV ID card.

"What just happened?" Kensuke blinked.

"Oh nothing much," Shinji rolled his eyes.

"I thought you said you would be by around eleven?" Toji frowned as they all entered the apartment.

"I was…but I got done early," Kensuke said.

"That wasn't very nice Asuka," Hikari said finally

"So?" Asuka snorted, "That guy deserved it."

_You have no idea_, Hikari thought.

Mitsuda glanced around nervously as he made his back to his office. He had known that Horaki had a few friends, but who would have guessed that she associated with NERV personal!

Mitsuda gulped. He had heard the same rumors about NERV as everyone else; about the mysterious Section Two that was authorized to remove anyone that threatened the well-being of the organization and it's personal. He also had heard that senior members of NERV used them in personal vendettas against people that irked them.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice spoke, causing him to jump.

He stared at the blue-haired girl for a moment before he regained his composure.

_She's pretty easy on the eyes_, he thought, "What can I do for you, Miss?"

"I'm looking for the Horaki residence," she said.

"Horaki?" he gulped, a sense of doom suddenly loomed in his mind, "Are you a friend of Ms. Horaki?"

"Yes, I am helping her move today."

"Ah…I see…" he nodded slowly.

"Do you know if the others have arrived yet?"

"Which others?" he licked his dry lips.

"Shinji Ikari, Asuka Soryu and Kensuke Aida…they also friends and associates of mine," she answered.

"Associates?" he paled.

"Yes…we work at NERV together."

"Oh…" he said as his skin turned ashen.

"Are you well?" she frowned, "Your skin color is…"

"Oh I'm fine!" he said quickly, realizing that he had better get her out of here, "The Horakis are in 305; take a left at the top of the stairs!"

"Thank you," she said quietly as she walked off.

"I've got to take a vacation…"

"Well?" Kensuke grinned.

"I do not see the point," Rei frowned, "Why did he react that way to hearing that I was a member of NERV?"

"Oh…no reason," Asuka chuckled, "But that guy sure got his."

Toji glanced at her than at Hikari, _I'm not so sure. If what he implied to Hikari is what I think…Well, if I knew, I'd probably get into trouble after they found him._

"Well let's finish up," Shinji said, "Misato'll be here pretty soon."

"Right."

Misato glanced at Hikari as the boys hauled boxes out the door, "You sure about this? I mean…I know a few people that could…"

"It's alright," Hikari told her, "I mean…it's not…

She sighed as she regarded the older woman, "It's just that I wanted to be able to…to make it by myself; to be able to raise my sisters while going to school. I promised my older sister that I would take care of them while she went to school in America. I knew it would be hard, but I can't want to abandon them to government care. If I did, Kodama would kill me."

"I understand," Misato nodded, "I spent a few years in government care until I started to interact again…"

"But…" Hikari continued, "…but because of the increase prices, including rent…I just…I really have no other choice. Well, none that would allow me to keep my sisters with me."

"Hey, we're almost done," Ryoji Kaji entered with the other boys and Asuka, "Is there anything else?"

"I'll make a quick check," Hikari assured him.

"Well…" Asuka cracked her neck, "after this, how about we all get some ice cream?"

"Sounds good," Kensuke nodded.

"Yeah! Ice cream!" Ayumi grinned as she and Midori exited their old room with Rei following with a box.

"I'll take that," Kensuke said, "Why don't you help Hikari with a final check?"

"Okay," she nodded.

Misato glanced over at Ryoji, "Gee, Rei sure has come out of her box, hasn't she?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Especially around Kensuke."

"Now _that's_ an odd pair," she snorted, "And here I thought the oddest couple would be Shin−" She stopped abruptly as Asuka walked past them, glancing suspiciously at her.

"Care to help, Misato?" she asked pointedly.

"Sure," Misato sweated.


	12. Chapter 12: Tranquil Countdown

Chapter 12: A Tranquil Countdown to Armageddon

Monday, January 12, 2016 (Day 10-6:55)

Suzuhara/Horaki Apartment, Tokyo-3

Hikari Horaki looked around in bewilderment for a moment before she sighed as she crawled out of bed.

_I'm still not use to this_, she groaned as she opened her old dresser, _waking up in a different bed than the one I've slept in for nearly twelve years. And not only that, but I'm also living with Toji and Sakura! Good grief…What would Mom and Dad think…_

'Don't worry, Hikari,' Mrs. Masaki has said kindly, 'Your parents would be proud of the young woman that you've become. You've got a good head on those shoulders…'

_I wonder…_She shook her head, _No. No use in wondering. If Mom or Dad had made it out of the accident alive, than I wouldn't be in this situation._

She sighed again as she finished with her school uniform and exited her room.

Midori and Ayumi were all camped out on the couch with Sakura and bowls of cereal and watching some kiddy anime, while Toji was in the kitchen with a newspaper. As she entered she shook her head, "Somehow…I never really expected to see you reading a newspaper in the morning."

Toji grinned, "Oh well. It's not like I _could_ watch anything, now that my couch is owned by _three_ rug rats as opposed to one."

Hikari laughed.

Monday, January 12, 2016 (Day 10-13:20)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

"What is the progress on the Eva data?" Ikari asked Dr. Akagi as they walked.

"We've nearly got a complete analysis ready on the S2 Engines," Akagi told him, "and the mental link. However…we are still having trouble with the Elemental Engines. They're just too advanced for us at the moment."

"Given that we don't have anything like it at the moment, we can just mark it as a state secret," Ikari grunted, "However, we're going to have to get _something_ out there, or else the Demons may figure it out. We have to make sure our facade is perfect, or all is for naught."

"I know," Akagi sighed, "It's hard to believe. I've just gotten use to this...this peace. But it's going to be shattered in less than three weeks."

Ikari glanced at her, "Has Dr. Katsuragi contacted you?"

"Yes. He's just gotten settled in at Los Alamos, and is beginning construction of the S2 Engine prototypes that will be displayed about three years ago. He also sent a draft of the 'notes' from Antarctica for the last fifteen years."

"Good," Ikari nodded, "The U.N. will be happy to hear that."

Akagi glanced at him, "Are you sure that all of this is necessary? We have no idea how in depth the Demons will look at us."

"No," Ikari glared, "and that is _exactly_ why it _is_ necessary. We do know that the Demons have…units that will emulate the Angels. That includes Tabris."

"I see," Akagi nodded, "You think they may try and infiltrate with Doppelgangers?"

"I would."

"So you see," Ikari said patiently in front of the holographic U.N. Security Council, "It is will within our grasp to soon start Project: E-2."

"Interesting," Mr. Golovoko, the Russian representative, tilted his head, "Your progress seems to have accelerated."

"Dr. Akagi acquired a new assistant to aid her," Ikari told them.

"Very well," Mr. Sanders nodded, "but we are here for other reasons than to discuss Project E-2. How is the rewrite of history coming?"

"According to our intelligence bureaus," Mr. Golovoko spoke, "the amount of information on the mysterious occurrences surrounding the Second Impact and the Rebirth are diminishing quickly. Apparently, most of the people understand that this is necessary for whatever reason. There are a few dissidents, but than again, there are _always_ dissidents. Most of which are in the United States."

Mr. Sanders glared, "Our country has a history of independence, Mr. Golovoko. Much unlike the rest of the world."

"History?" Golovoko snorted, "Your country is a mere child compared to the rest of the world."

"Gentlemen," Fuyutsuki raised his hands, "there is no need to quarrel. We all must work together if we are to survive our next trial."

Mr. Sanders grunted, "Agreed."

"Very well," Golovoko nodded.

"There is still a problem that we must discuss," Mr. Chan grunted, "Where will the Demons strike? We must position the Evas for maximum coverage."

"Yes," Mr. Steiner spoke for the first time, "Before, all of the Angels attacks were directed at the NERV HQ in the Geo-Front because that's where Adam, or rather Lilith, was. What will the Demons attack?"

Ikari glanced at Fuyutsuki before answering, "Though I cannot guarantee this, I suspect that they will attack the Evas."

Mr. Chan frowned, "Why do you believe this?"

"Because, the Evas are the only thing on the planet that could threaten them," he answered, "It makes strategic sense for them to eliminate the only obstacle that could challenge them."

"That's why you are deliberately leaving information about the Evas available," Mr. Sanders nodded, "So that they will know that they are in Japan. And since Toyko-3 is already geared as a battleground city, it makes tactical sense."

"But what if they attack another part of the world?" Mr. Steiner grunted, "Do you suggest that we leave the rest of the world unprotected until Project: E-2 produces the next line of Evas?"

"What do you suggest?" Fuyutsuki frowned, "That we separate the Evas?"

"Precisely." The word hung in the air as the representatives stared at Steiner, each other and finally at Ikari and Fuyutsuki.

"That would be a grave mistake," Ikari said finally, "The Evas need to be kept together to support each other. We were warned that the coming battles would not be like with the Angels; there will most likely be multiple units at each encounter. Having only one or two Evas to face them could lead to the loss of one. If we lose even one, our forces would be quartered."

"And not only that," Fuyutsuki added, "but you must remember that the pilots of the Evas are only children. Putting undo stress on them by forcing them to move could be catastrophic."

"Pilot Soryu is originally from Germany," Mr. Steiner pointed out.

"True," Fuyutsuki grunted, "but we can't separate one from the others; that's even more insane than sending away two!"

"Then how will our countries be protected?" Steiner asked darkly.

"I believe that the answer lays in the area of transportation," Mr. Sanders spoke up, "I'm sure that Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki are familiar with this design." He pushed a button activating a holo-display in the center of the room. The display focused into an image of a wing shape.

"The Production-model Carriers!" Fuyutsuki exclaimed.

"Correct. The United States was responsible for their development, and we are quite capable of designing ones that can carry the older versions as well. I realize that you have similar carriers, but those are far too short ranged to be of use."

"Correct," Ikari nodded, "What are the speed and range of one of these carriers?"

Mr. Sanders glanced around, "I'm…I'm not sure how much of the details I can say on this channel…but sufficient to say, it can deliver an Eva to northern Europe in about two hours from Japan, assuming that you cross over the arctic."

Fuyutsuki stared before glancing at Ikari, "That…That would be sufficient, in my opinion."

"Agreed," Ikari nodded, "Is that satisfactory, Mr. Steiner?"

Steiner sighed, "I suppose. I'll have to inform my government of this development."

"Very well."

Wednesday, January 14, 2016 (Day 12-15:02)

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan

Shinji glanced over at Toji as they changed, "So…how is it?"

"How's what?" Toji frowned as he zipped his Plug Suit.

"Living with Hikari, of course," Shinji arched an eyebrow, "It took me a while to get used to Asuka."

"Oh…" Toji grunted deeply as he turned, "It's…we're getting settled."

Shinji smiled, "The bathroom?"

"Good _grief_!" Toji exclaimed, "There are _four_ girls filing through there every morning! Sometimes, I wonder if I'll make to class on time!"

Shinji shrugged, "You'll figure something out."

"Yeah, whatever," Toji cocked his neck as they headed out. Toji glanced at Shinji before looking forward again, "Say…what's with Asuka?"

"Huh?" Shinji nearly stumbled.

Toji sighed, "Oh come on. You have to know _something_ about it. She went from being the Devil Woman to…to…"

"Nice?" Shinji half smiled.

"Yeah…"

Shinji shrugged, "Well, she's still Asuka; not someone you want to piss off…but yeah, she isn't out to rip off heads anymore…Well, at least not without cause…"

"So…" Toji glanced at him.

"So?" Shinji frowned.

"So what happened?"

"Toji…" Shinji groaned.

"Come on," Toji slapped him casually, "you can tell me."

Shinji groaned again, "Listen Toji…I…I don't really know, okay? I don't really know what's going on inside her head."

"Come on," Toji snorted, "You mean to tell me that you have no idea what happened?"

"Toji…" Shinji said in a 'drop it' tone as they entered the massive hangar for the Evas.

"So what took you?" Asuka asked as she stood next to Dr. Akagi and Rei, tapping her foot.

"N-Nothing, really," Shinji said nervously.

Dr. Akagi grunted, "Alright, today you are going down to the harbor to pick up some new equipment that arrived from the United States, and field test it."

Asuka frowned, "Why are we doing this in the Evas?"

"Public relations," Akagi smiled oddly.

"What sort of equipment?" Rei asked, ignoring the banter.

Akagi glanced at her notepad, "Progressive Blades, Gauss Guns, newer versions of the Positron Rifle and Gatling Guns."

"Gauss?" Toji stared.

"It's like a Rail Gun," Asuka told him. He stared at her blankly.

"You'll see," Akagi assured him.

"Doctor," Shinji spoke, "how do we know if any of these things will work on the Demons? I mean…we have no idea if they'll have A.T. Fields of not."

"Won't matter," Akagi smiled, "We were successful in reproducing the Lance of Longinus, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Asuka bit out harshly.

Akagi look like she was about to apologize, but hesitated and sighed before speaking again, "In any event, all of weapons have both normal and A.T. Piercing rounds available, but there are significantly less of the A.T.P. rounds."

"Right," Shinji nodded as he glanced at a brooding Asuka.

Shinji sighed as he ran the start up sequence in 01. He glanced at his comm, torn on whether he should or not.

Finally he summoned up his courage and activated it, "Asuka?"

A moment later, Asuka appeared on his screen, "What is it?"

Shinji glanced around nervously, "Umm…are you okay?"

Asuka hissed softly, than answered, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes flashed, "I said I'm fine!"

Shinji gulped nervously.

Asuka's expression changed, and she opened her mouth, than closed it before speaking, "Listen, I just don't like to be reminded of…that."

"Right," Shinji smiled nervously, "I…"

"It's okay," she grunted, "Come on, we got things to do." Shinji nodded and deactivated the comm.

Asuka stared at the darkened screen for moment before suddenly punching the screen. _What…what the hell is wrong with me?_ She stared at her reflection in the screen, _Why…Why can't I…_

The notice to move to the Rail Launcher came.

Asuka stared bitterly at it, than turned to her reflection, "Am I that terrible a person? Well?"

Dr. Akagi sighed, "Asuka's sync is down a little. Again."

Misato glared at her, "Like it's not your fault."

Ritsuko stared at the computer, "I suppose. I didn't really mean to bring that up, but…"

"The port just called," Aoba turned to them, "The ships just arrived."

"Alright, signal the Evas," Misato ordered.

"What are they talking about," Kensuke whispered to Maya.

Maya glanced over her shoulder before answering him, "When SEELE attacked us with the nine production models, they were equipped with copies of the Lance of Longinus, which can pierce A.T. Fields. Asuka was fighting them off until she got hit hard with them…" Maya winced, "It was bad."

"Ah," Kensuke nodded slowly, "And the same…well, tech is being used to make the ammunition for their guns."

"Right."

Wednesday, January 14, 2016 (Day 12-16:45)

An isle, 20 miles east off the coast of Japan

Toji grinned as he lowered the Gauss Gun, "Cool. I want one for personal use."

"It would be far too heavy for you to hold, Mr. Suzuhara," Akagi noted dryly, "And even if you could, the recoil would take your arm off. The only reason the Eva's can use it, is because they're much tougher than you are."

"But still!" he grinned manically.

"Give me that," Asuka maneuvered 02 over to 03 and proffered a Prog Axe, "Trade."

"Fine," he groaned.

Asuka grinned as she hefted the mighty cannon-like weapon, "Alright, clear the firing field!"

"Field clear!" Shinji asserted after a glance while he reloaded the new assault rifle.

"_Fire_!" Asuka roared.

A silver slug the size of an Eva's fist ripped through the electromagnetic-rails of the 35 meter cannon, easily breaking the sound barrier and shredded most of one of the floating destroyers into metallic toothpicks.

"I like," Asuka worked her Eva's right arm, "though it does exert a lot of force on the Eva."

"It's within stress limited," Akagi told them, "but we should limit its use."

"Ah, do we have to?" Toji complained.

"It is your turn with the Gatling Gun," Rei's face suddenly appeared.

"Eh? Oh, oh okay," Toji nodded he swung the axe around.

Saturday, January 17, 2016 (Day 15-12:33)

Toyko-3 Uptown Mall, Tokyo-3, Japan

"So?" Asuka tilted her head as she sipped her coke.

"I don't know," Hikari shrugged, "I mean…It's weird, waking up in a different bed everyday…"

"He hasn't been trying anything, has he?" Asuka asked pointedly.

"N-No," Hikari blushed furiously, "He's been really nice…"

Asuka looked at her doubtfully, "Sure…"

"Well, he's still like always at school," Hikari admitted, "But at home…well, he's…I mean, Sakura's around!"

"Right," Asuka chuckled darkly, "But what happens when all the little girls are gone, and it's just you and him…"

"_Asuka_!" Hikari flushed, "He's not like that!"

"Sure he is."

"What is it that you have against him?" Hikari frowned questioningly.

"He's a _boy_, Hikari," Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Not every boy is a pervert, Asuka," Hikari said dryly.

"Really?" Asuka replied, a dare in her eyes.

"Take a look at…at Shinji!" Hikari rapped the table, "Is he a pervert? I mean, you've been alone at home with him lots of times."

Asuka frowned and didn't reply as she tapped her fingers on the table.

"See?" Hikari leaned back triumphantly.

Asuka glared at her narrowly, "It's not like he isn't…He's just a…well…" Asuka stopped and reconsidered, "He _was_ a coward…"

"Was?" Hikari blinked.

"Well, ever since the Third Impact, he's been less cowardly, and has actually gone a bit of a backbone," Asuka said softly as she recalled the night that she had cried on Shinji's shoulder, and that he had actually slept with her.

_…You know, he didn't even really try anything than…_

"Earth to Asuka," Hikari waved, "You there?"

"Huh?" Asuka snapped her head to look at Hikari.

"I lost you there for a second…," Hikari stopped and smiled conspiratorially.

"Eh…" Asuka blinked.

Hikari leaned forward, "You like him, don't you?"

Asuka recoiled, nearly flipping her chair, "_Whaaat_!"

"Oh come on," Hikari chuckled, "You can tell me…"

"There's nothing to tell," Asuka insisted adamantly.

"Asuka," Hikari sighed, "You can't deny the evidence: All of a sudden, you've been a much better mood, you and Shinji aren't constantly bickering, you've stopped insulting him…You even said a nice thing about him!"

Asuka stared, "I did? When?"

Hikari sighed helplessly, "Just a second ago when you said that he had grow a backbone. Remember?"

_Oh crap_, Asuka reddened, _Hikari's went and gotten the wrong idea…And that fact that I'm blushing isn't going to help…_

"Come on," Hikari shook her head, "Are you saying that you _don't_ like him?"

"W-Well…N-No…" Asuka stammered.

_But don't you?_ a voice asked.

_Shut up_, Asuka stormed.

"Weren't we on the topic of you and Toji?" Asuka asked quickly.

Hikari suddenly grew flustered, "Ah…"

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-12:14)

Tokyo-3 Municipal Jr. High, Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke Aida dropped his lunch box on the table as he sat down next to Rei, "Hey."

"Hello," Rei glanced at him, smiling slightly.

"Geez," Toji sighed as he sat down across from them, "You two are as bad as Shinji and Asuka."

They both stared owlishly at him, than looked up.

"You say something, stooge?" Asuka demanded, standing over him with Shinji.

"Just making an observation," Toji replied calmly.

_Toji's gotten brave around Asuka_, Shinji noted dryly.

"Really?" Asuka raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

"Nothing really," Toji smiled cheekily.

"One of these days stooge…" she warned as Hikari appeared.

"Here Toji," she handed him a bag.

"Thanks," he nodded.

"So you make him lunch now?" Asuka stared suspiciously at Hikari.

"It-It's no big deal…" Hikari sweated as she glanced around.

"And he says that _we're_ bad," Kensuke remarked to Rei.

She frowned, "Bad at what?"

He laughed, "I'll explain later."

"Heh," Asuka rolled her eyes as she sat, "A Geek Stooge and a Babe in the Woods. What a couple."

"You're one to talk," Kensuke shot back.

"Huh?" Asuka blinked, than turned to Shinji, who was holding her lunch. She looked back to see a peculiar smile on everyone's face, even Rei's.

"What?" Asuka demanded, her face glowing a tad, "It's…It's just sensible for only one person to make lunch for school!"

"Exactly," Hikari said emphatically.

"We all seem pretty eager to claim that the others are couples," Kensuke noted.

"I know," Shinji sighed.

"Yeah, well how about we all set the record straight then?" Asuka asked.

"Fine," Toji smirked, "Are you and Shinji a couple?"

Asuka reddened, but answered definitely, "No."

"Kensuke and Rei?"

"Ah…" Kensuke glanced around nervously, "Umm…No. We're just friends." Rei glanced at him, seemingly puzzled, but than just shrugged.

"In any case," Asuka turned to Toji and Hikari, "What about you two?"

Hikari blushed and glanced away, but Toji shook his head, "Of course not."

"Huh?" Asuka stared.

Toji rolled his eyes, "What? You expected different?"

Shinji glanced at his watch, "We should hurry and eat. We have to head out to NERV in a few minutes."

"But you're still in school!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Sorry," Asuka shrugged, "but there's an important package coming in that we have to stand by to receive."

Hikari frowned, "What sort of package?"

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-12:22)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Misato Katsuragi glanced at the screen, "ETA?"

"About 40 minutes," Aoba informed her, "the ships are reporting in that they were slightly delayed because of a small storm."

"Acknowledged," she sighed.

"So the new Carriers are in?" Kaji commented as he entered.

"Yep," Misato nodded, "According to the Americans, they should be fully operational; just the harnesses would be in need of a little adjusting."

"I see," he nodded, "Have you told the others what their picking up?"

Misato glanced away, looking queasy, "No…"

"I see…"

She sighed, "I probably should tell them…Asuka was unhappy enough to here that the ammunition was made like the fakes lances…"

"Did they ever see the Carriers?" he asked, "I wouldn't know…"

Misato glared at him, but shook her head, "I have no idea. It was too chaotic at the time."

"Well, I guess you'll find out," he grinned as he turned, "See ya."

"Hey!" she shouted as he left. She whipped around to look at the screen again, "Jerk."

"So what's so important for us to skip school?" Asuka demanded as they entered the conference room.

Misato tossed Shinji a clipboard, "Transportation."

They all crowded around him as he glanced over the specs before suddenly recoiling, "These are…"

Misato shrugged, "What did you expect? Something completely new?"

"What are they?" Toji frowned.

Asuka's lip curled, "These are the Carriers that were used to transport the Mass Production models."

"Yes, I know we're all pissed at everything that had to do with SEELE's attack on us, but the Americans had these. We just have to live with it," Misato told them.

Asuka growled, but didn't say anything.

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-13:50)

Military Dock #4, JDF Sea Base _Echo_, Japan

"Steady!" Shinji exclaimed as the third Carrier was being unloaded. They were at the military docks, unloading the four carriers and their spare parts off of five huge cargo ships.

"Help!" Toji cried as he attempted to readjust his footing. 00 quickly moved forward to grab the front of the Carrier.

"Thanks, Rei," Toji sighed.

"You can't be so careless!" Asuka snapped as 02 grabbed back end of the immense machine.

"Sorry!" Toji grunted, "It's hard to judge the weight."

"Everyone just calm down!" Shinji snapped, "We can't mess around right now!"

Misato blinked as she listened in on the comm traffic from the Base's Op-Center.

_Geez, Shinji_, she shook her head, _When did you start being assertive?_

"Sounds like the kid can handle himself, eh?" Ryoji Kaji smiled as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Yep," she smiled.

"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Shinji Ikari?" Toji demanded mockingly.

"Toji…" Shinji rolled his eyes.

"Enough," Misato grunted into her mike, "We can take a DNA sample later, but right now you need to get that one stowed away and the last one off the ship."

"Right," Asuka acknowledged and clicked her comm off. She was smiling slightly to herself as she reran Shinji's exclamation through her head, _He's certainly come a long way._

Asuka jolted, _What the heck am I thinking about that for!_

"Asuka?" Shinji commed her, "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh sure," she said quickly, "Just collecting my thoughts."

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-17:15)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Is everyone satisfied?" Gendo Ikari asked the holographic U.N. members that were before him.

Mr. Sanders grinned, "Oh, I doubt it, but we should at least _pretend_ that we're satisfied."

Fuyutsuki suppressed a chuckle as some members glared harshly at Sanders, _He's probably close to the truth. They wanted an Eva in their country; for bragging rights at least._

Mr. Steiner looked meaningfully at Sanders, than Ikari, "It seems that with the Carriers, the Evas should be able to respond in a reasonable amount of time…How long for them to be prepped?"

"No longer than it would take to prep the Evas themselves," Fuyutsuki told them, "By the time the Evas arrive via the Rail, the Carriers would be ready to receive them, and launch on the special Mag-Launcher runway."

Mr. Chan tilted his head, "I think that this is reasonable. Our only concern is the possible damage that incurs during one of these battles."

Fuyutsuki nearly let out a loud snort, _You bastards are worried about damages causes by the Evas! During a defensive battle to _protect_ you!_

"Mr. Ambassador," Ikari spoke tonelessly, "the pilots are quite away of what their Evas are capable of, and will make any reasonable attempt to minimize collateral damage. _Reasonable_ attempt; they will be fighting to save humanity, and if a building cannot be saved in the progress of this goal, than so be it."

"I understand," Mr. Chan said icily, "I am, of course, more concerned about civilian casualties."

"Any civilian that is caught in a fight between the Evas and the Demons," Fuyutsuki spoke, "is automatically in mortal danger. However, our pilots have made valiant attempts to save lives in the midst of battle. However, we mustn't put them in any more danger than necessary."

"_Our_ pilots?" Mr. Pavlov spoke dryly.

Fuyutsuki smiled bitterly, "Yes. After all they are Humanity's only shot at survival."

As they exited the room, Ikari glanced at Fuyutsuki, "You should watch your speech more."

"Blast it Ikari," Fuyutsuki grunted, "they should care more. There only kids, yet we demand so must from them."

"Nothing more than before," Ikari replied.

Fuyutsuki looked at Ikari, "_You_ should care more. He is your son…And after Yui−"

"I'm afraid it's too late to change anything," Ikari grunted.

Fuyutsuki shook his head and tried to decide who he pitied more: The boy or the father.

"Well that was fun," Toji grinned as they all made their way to the elevator.

"Yeah," Shinji nodded. Given that they had been flying around on things that were improvements one the things that had brought in the Production Models, the experience had been a good one.

"It was okay," Asuka shrugged.

"What did you think Rei?" Kensuke asked.

Rei glanced over at Kensuke as they waited for the elevator, "It was…interesting."

"You really need to work on your vocabulary," Asuka commented.

"You said it was okay," Kensuke pointed out dryly.

"And you're asking for it nerd boy," she growled.

"Come on, knock it off," Shinji put up his hands.

"So, now what?" Toji asked as he brushed some stray water from a shower out of his hair.

"I dunno," Shinji shrugged, "You can ask Hikari if we missed anything important. Other than that, I guess we'll just normal thing tomorrow."

"This schedule is starting to really suck," Toji complained, "We have no free time anymore!"

Rei cleared her throat as the elevator doors opened, "There are only a few days left. We need to be prepared."

"Yeah, I know," Toji sighed.

"Sure," Asuka tapped a finger on her folded arm, "For all we know, we'll be at constant alert for months during this thing."

"Ugh," Toji recoiled.

"Umm…So, Rei," Kensuke turned to her, "you doing okay with your school work?"

Rei smiled slightly, "Yes, I'm fine."

He nodded, "Good." Asuka glanced suspiciously from one to the other, but said nothing as the doors to the elevator opened and they all piled out.

"Well see ya!" Toji waved.

"Bye," Shinji turned, "Did Misato stick us with the shopping?"

"I think so," Asuka grumbled, "Plus she and Ryoji are going to dinner."

"Fine," he shrugged, "Pasta or ramen?"

"Pasta," she answered, "We had ramen the last three days."

"Non-instant doesn't count," he insisted, "but sure. Pasta it is."

"Have fun," Kensuke grinned.

"Same to you two," Asuka replied in a menacingly cheerful way.

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-17:55)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Tokyo-3, Japan

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi sighed as she glanced through the data, "Maya, do you have the numbers for stress on the wing struts of Carrier 01?"

The younger woman glanced around the sea of folders, "Umm…yeah. Yeah, it's right here."

"Check to see if the numbers are higher than 03," she tossed her a folder, "If not, than it's okay."

"Right," Maya nodded.

"Having fun?" Misato asked cheekily as she peeked in.

"Go home and die," Akagi growled.

"My my," Misato smiled, "Isn't your job supposed to be easier with Kensuke as your assistant?"

She sighed, "It is, but I still have some crappy things that I have to do myself."

"Done gloating?" Ryoji Kaji asked.

"Sure," Misato chuckled, "See ya around."

"Grr…" Ritsuko stared, "Why is she so happy?"

Maya shrugged, "Maybe because of Mr. Kaji?"

Akagi sighed, _Oh course that was the reason. _

Memories of her high school and college years flew by as Akagi realized that what her mother had told her was true: 'You can't sacrifice one aspect of oneself for the sake of another and be truly happy.'

_Damm that woman._

"Doctor?" Maya waved.

"Ah…yeah. Back to work."

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-17:59)

Tokyo-3, Japan

Kensuke glanced over at Rei as they made their way back to their apartments. Shinji and Asuka had gone to the market to get groceries and Toji lived in the other direction, so it was just two of them.

Kensuke sighed silently, Come on Kensuke! You can think of _something_ interesting to say to her!

"Only a few days left," Kensuke spoke softly.

"Yes," Rei replied.

"Well a lot has happened these past few days, eh?" he commented after a momentary pause.

"Indeed," she said.

He sighed, wishing she was more of a conversationalist.

Rei frowned slightly and looked at him, "Isn't the road to your apartment over there?"

"Huh?" Kensuke blinked, "Oh, yeah…Oh, well I was going to stop by and grab a newspaper at the stand down the block."

"I see," she nodded.

_This is going nowhere. Maybe I should…umm…_

_Well?_

_Well what?_

_Are you?_

_Umm…_

_Well, are you or aren't you!_

_Fine! Umm… here goes…_

"So anyways," Kensuke said quickly, "I was wondering if you wanted to do anything…"

Rei glanced at him, perplexed, "Do anything?"

"Well, what I mean is that if we ever get another break before the whole show starts…You know," he said nervously, "some time off before…"

"Before the De—" Rei started before stopping herself.

"Right," nodded, "if you would want to go do something; like the aquarium or the water park, or something. With the gang that this."

Rei looked off into before speaking, "We're here."

"Huh?" he blinked as he looked around and saw the newsstand with a few men carrying bundles of new papers from a truck to the stand, "Oh right; the newspaper."

"Well, I see you tomorrow," she said as she turned to walk.

Kensuke's eyes widened as visions of doom suddenly filled his head as he leaped forward, "_Watch it_!" A man carrying a bundle of newspapers nearly collided with Rei as she turned to walk away when Kensuke grabbed her shoulders and reeled her back.

"Woah!" the man stumbled back, "Watch it there, Missie!"

Rei blinked before blushing, "My apologizes."

The operator of the stand smiled, "Its okay, Miss. Nobody's hurt."

He winked at Kensuke, "Nice save, Kid. 'Course you gotta keep your girl in one piece, I suppose."

The paper men chuckled as Kensuke realized that he still had his hands on her shoulders. He quickly removed them, his face burning, "You okay?"

"Yes, thank you," she nodded shyly.

"Well, I got my paper…" Kensuke pointed as he walked over to the stand.

"Right," she nodded, "Tomorrow."

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-18:33)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

"Well?" Asuka peaked into the kitchen.

"Almost done," he sighed, "You know, you can help."

"Me?" she pointed to herself incredulously.

"Yes," he groaned.

"Fine," she said stiffly, "if only to reward your new-found spine."

Shinji blinked. Well that was unexpected. Really unexpected, "Umm…well you can stir the sauce while I finish with the noodles."

"'Kay," she grabbed the spoon and started.

Shinji shook his head, "If Misato hears about this…"

"Well, than she won't," Asuka said cheekily.

Shinji rolled his eyes, "Couldn't you just be more helpful all the time?"

"No one could accept that," she replied.

"I know," he sighed, "It's just that at times like this, you seem like a completely different person."

Asuka slowed down, "Am I?"

"Huh?"

She glanced at him, "Am I that different?"

Shinji considered his answer, "Well…yeah."

"It's just that," Asuka sighed, "I don't want my secret out…"

"I know, I know," he nodded, "But just because you act different…"

"That last time I tried that, they thought that—" she stopped.

"I remember," he grabbed the pot of noodles, "but it settled down. Try not to worry about it. Heck, hardly anyone comments about Rei acting different anymore."

Asuka sighed, "I suppose."

"Come on," he smiled, "Let's eat."

Tuesday, January 20, 2016 (Day 18-18:35)

Ayanami Apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan

Rei stared at the mirror. Her experiences from the past few weeks whirled around in her head as she tried to make sense of them.

_Why am I happy around him? Why am I sad when I'm here?_

_Is it because he's happy? Am I happy because he's happy? Or am I happy because I with him._

Rei frowned, _Why is it that I hate this place? Why do I like his place better? Is it because it's his place, or is because I was with him?_

_Was I happy just because he was near? Why? Is it because I don't have anything inside that I simply become like those around me? Or does he have something that fills the hole in me?_

Rei laid down on the bed, _Why I am here? Why am I so alone right now? Why do I wish that I wasn't here?_

_Am I really human?_


	13. Chapter 13: Advent

Format Note:

_Italics are now also thoughts._

/Demons speaking normally./

/Demons speaking over distance to each other (like a comm)./

Chapter 13: Advent

Saturday, January 31, 2016 (Day 29-6:55)

Suzuhara/Horaki Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Toji Suzuhara yawned as he whipped some sleep from his eyes. He grumbled as he sat down heavily on the couch as he waited for the shower.

He sighed as he glanced at his watch and noted the date, _It's nearly time. Tomorrow…tomorrow is when they said that the Demons would show up…_

He noted that the shower had stopped, so he got up and pulled some clothes out of the laundry. He than went and stood by the door and waited.

After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal Hikari, who was combing her hair as stepped out. She paused and blinked, "You're up early."

He shrugged, "Hard time sleeping." Her expression went absent and she nodded slightly and head for the kitchen.

Toji sighed. After he had said that they weren't a couple when everyone was embroiled in that argument, she had asked him later why he been so vehement about it. He had told her that that sort of thing was for when they were older.

'We're just fourteen,' he had said, 'Why are we worrying about this now?'

'We're not just fourteen,' Hikari had replied, 'We may only be that age, but we have a lot more responsibility. We have our siblings to take care of, and you're an Eva pilot.'

'So?'

'So, we aren't _just_ fourteen. We're adults,' she said, blushing slightly, 'And, I think, Kensuke and Rei, and maybe even Shinji and Asuka, are starting to act in a more adult manner.'

'So what? What does that have to do with anything?'

'It means that they are, consciously or not, becoming more mature,' she replied.

Toji had shrugged, 'Whatever. I'm fourteen, and I'll be fourteen until I turn fifteen and so on. Just because of everything doesn't mean that I'm going to be more mature.'

Toji sighed again_, I wonder if maybe she thinks that I don't really like her. I mean…I do kinda like her, but…_

_…But I really don't want that kind of commitment right now. I mean…we are just fourteen. Why do we have to be anything else?_

Saturday, January 31, 2016 (Day 29-9:05)

Toride Tokyo

Shinji noted the new sign in front of the library as he walked to the market.

"They sure have managed to get everything done fast," Kensuke said, "Given that they only decided on the new name on Monday."

"Could be worse," Shinji shrugged, "Tokyo-2 is now New Tokyo. At least Toride Tokyo can be referred to as Toride."

Kensuke grinned, "The Fortress."

"Yeah," Shinji nodded, "Oh, I heard from Commander Fuyutsuki that they grabbed another group of hackers that were posting about the Angels."

Kensuke half-smiled, "Anyone I know?" Shinji shrugged when his phone rang.

"Hello," Shinji answered.

"Hey," Asuka's voice filtered through, "are you at the market yet?"

"No," Shinji replied, "We're about two blocks away. Why, is there something else for the list?"

"Umm…maybe," Asuka said hesitantly, "Did Misato tell you to get some cinnamon?"

"Yes," Shinji nodded.

"Ah…" Asuka hummed for a moment, "Oh, did she tell you to get some cheese…"

"Ah, yeah," Shinji consulted his list, "it's near the bottom, but its here."

"Okay," Asuka replied, "Hurry it up. We have to be down at NERV by 11:00."

"Right," Shinji nodded again, "Later." He flipped the phone shut.

"Women," Kensuke shrugged, "Always one more thing."

"Maybe," Shinji murmured.

Saturday, January 31, 2016 (Day 29-9:08)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Asuka sighed as she put down the phone as Misato entered, "You know…you could have gone with him."

Asuka cringed, "Wha…what do you mean?"

Misato smiled broadly, "You know…it's not much of a secret…"

Asuka stared at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on," Misato rolled her eyes and laughed, "You and Shinji."

"What about me and Shinji?" Asuka asked through gritted teeth.

Misato shook her head, "Asuka, Asuka, Asuka. Whether you want to admit it or not…I afraid that you appear to be currently in a state of…puppy love."

Asuka did not speak; merely staring at the older woman in a doubtful manner. Than, after about a minute, she spoke, "_Are you **insane**_!"

Misato recoiled slightly at the ferocity of Asuka's exclamation, but managed to steady herself, "Now Asuka…"

"_Have you lost your mind_!" Asuka's face was glowing crimson, though whether it was from embarrassment or exertion was indeterminable.

"Now Asuka," Misato raised her hand, "hear me out. You've been closer to Shinji since I got back from Antarctica. A lot closer. What am I to think?"

"What you think is wrong," Asuka snapped, "My relationship with Shinji is nothing like that."

"So…Whatever," Misato sighed, "I give up. You can say whatever you want, but would you just make sure that you know how _you_ feel." Misato turned and left.

Asuka stuck her tongue out, _Me and Shinji are nothing like that. Shinji's just a friend…_

_Really?_

Asuka sighed_, Yes. He's my friend._

_If that's what you think a friend is, than he's your only friend, you know._

_That's not it…It's just that…Shinji…That is…I mean…_

'I'll stay with you for as long as you need me. I promise'

_Just because he promised that? That makes him special?_

_Well…_Asuka thought nervously, _Yes._

_I see. But why should he be?_

_What? What are you saying?_

A dark chuckle emanated from the depths of her mind, _Why should he be your friend? Why should he stay with you? What even makes you think that he will stay with you forever?_

_But…but he promised!_

_So? Why should he stay with you?_

_What do you mean?_

The voice chuckled again, _You know what I mean. In the depths of your dark heart, you know._

Asuka clenched her fist, _Why? Why should he stay with me? Why do I deserve him? After all…I'm Asuka Langley Soryu... _

Saturday, January 31, 2016 (Day 29-11:15)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo, Japan

"Alright, this is the last practice for D-Day!" Misato proclaimed as she paced in front of the teen pilots.

"Aren't you being a little overdramatic?" Shinji sweat-dropped.

"Oh well, let the drama queen have her day," Asuka smiled broadly, "After all, she's going to stuck in the bat cave while we go and kick some butt."

"Bat cave?" Misato stared.

"Nevermind."

"Anyways," Misato sighed, "We have no idea where, when or how many Demons will drop; they could send a small scout party, or launch a full-blown invasion. So will be doing launch drills and urban combat until dinner."

"Ugg," Toji held his stomach, "The sacrifices that we are being asked to make are nearly too much for my stomach to handle."

Misato thought about beating down the impudent pilot, but decided against it, "Get to your Evas."

"Well, are they ready?" Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki asked Misato as she entered the Command Room.

Misato sighed, "I think so. I mean, I didn't really have any doubts about Shinji or Rei; and Asuka has come a long way. Toji is my only real concern, because he never had an engagement against the Angels, but I don't think that he'll have a problem."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "Good. As much as we need them, I really do hate the idea that the responsibility for the fate of humanity has been forced on them."

Misato shrugged, "Except for Toji, it's nothing new for them."

"Still…" the older man sighed.

"They're handling it fine," she assured him.

He nodded again, "Very well. If you'll excuse me, I have another meeting."

"Of course sir."

Misato glanced at him as he left, _He seems a lot more concerned this time around. I wonder why?_

"Ikari," Fuyutsuki said as approached the NERV Commander, "what did they have to say?"

"Not much," Ikari glanced up from a report, "The U.N. wants some inspectors in NERV to observe our operation."

Fuyutsuki groaned, "We don't have time for this. Time's nearly up and we don't have any to waste on them."

"Well, the council has apparently suddenly discovered that the pilots of the Evas are children and demands that in the name of child protection that they be allowed observers to make sure that they are not being abused," Ikari snorted.

Fuyutsuki stared at him, "Did you point out that they are all emancipated minors?"

"I did," he nodded.

"And?"

"And the ambassador from Germany pointed out that Ms. Soryu is still a _German_ minor, but since we wouldn't allow for her to be sent back to Germany, he feels that it would be in her best interest for someone to make sure that she's alright. And if her, why not all of them?"

"We don't have time for this!" Fuyutsuki snapped at no one in particular.

"I know," Ikari said, "So, I am ignoring them."

"What?"

He shrugged, "They can send an observer as soon as that person can get clearance. However…"

"…You don't have time to do that," Fuyutsuki finished and smiled, "And after that, we'll be under constant alert."

"Exactly."

"You know that they'll get you for this," the older man pointed out.

Ikari shrugged.

Saturday, January 31, 2016 (Day 29-21:12)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Asuka Langley Soryu stood out on the balcony, and stared out at the night sky and wondered. She wondered if the Demons were out there right now; wondered what they looked like; wondered if they would be easier or harder than Angels to kill; wonder if all would be for not if they found out that the Angels had been here and blasted the planet from orbit…

"Hey," Shinji said softly from behind her.

Asuka turned to him, and signed, "It's really tomorrow isn't it? I mean…we've been waiting for it for nearly a month and…and its tomorrow."

"Yeah," Shinji nodded, "it's like Christmas, but in a bad way."

Asuka snorted, "You had go and ruin Christmas for me, didn't you?"

Shinji shook his head and smile, "Sorry."

"You're apologizing again," she groaned, "Why do you have to apologize for everything?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "In any case, I made some hot cocoa if you want any."

"Okay," she nodded.

Shinji turned to leave through the sliding door when Asuka turned to him, "Do you think that we'll win?"

Shinji stopped and looked at her for a moment, than shrugged, "Yeah…Yeah, I think we will. I mean, we're ready, we're prepared, and the Angels tested us…"

Asuka nodded, "I know…But what about the Angels that we didn't really beat? Like the Eleventh Angel, Ireul? If it hadn't attempted to assimilate the Magi, who knows? Or the Twelfth? Yeah, you killed it, but how? You don't remember."

"I know," Shinji nodded, "But we know what they are; we'll find a way?"

Asuka smiled bitterly, "What about the Thirteenth?"

Shinji grew quiet as he glanced up into the sky. After away, he spoke, "I…I don't know. The Evas are different now. Maybe that'll make a difference. Or one of the Elemental Engines can deal with it."

Asuka sighed, "I suppose. The Angels basically knew what we are going to have to deal with. But still…"

"You're worried about the Fifteenth," Shinji said quietly.

Asuka balled her fist, "Don't I have right to? After what happened?"

"Yes. Yes, you do," Shinji said, "We all have the right to worry about specific Angels for our own reasons."

Asuka stared at Shinji, "What about the…I mean Rei. What about her?"

Shinji glanced up, "The Angel right after Arael…you remember what happened?"

Asuka's face flushed slightly, "I remember that I couldn't do anything."

"I mean…what happened to Rei. You remember?"

Asuka nodded, "We all though that she was dead, but than she just appeared back at HQ. Even if she was injured, she couldn't possibly have survived…"

"She didn't," Shinji told her, "You were out of it, but Dr. Akagi showed me and Misato…all of Rei. Or rather, all of the Reis."

"_What_?" Asuka stared.

"Do you remember what Lilith said about Rei on the beach?"

Asuka searched her memory, and blinked as she recalled what she had said: 'Rei was a creation of the combining of DNA from myself and Yui Ikari in Eva-01. In a way, she is a daughter of Yui, but my essence also existed in her…'

"She was a product of the original Eva-01, but there wasn't just one," Shinji told her, "There were several. But that's not what's important. What was important was that the Sixteenth Angel pierced her and was invading her body like…well like a combination of the Thirteenth and the Fifteenth."

Asuka looked horrified, "And that was a separate test from the other two!"

Shinji shrugged, "Maybe. Or maybe it was the final result, and the other two were just practice."

Asuka retched, "I'm going to puke…"

Shinji tried to smile encouragingly, "Try not to worry about it. We'll all pull through."

Asuka glanced at him warily, "You promise?"

Shinji put his hand on her shoulder, "I promise."

She nodded, "Good. Alright…about that cocoa…oh, and Shinji…"

"Yeah?"

Asuka glanced at him hand, "Misato'll get the wrong idea again if you don't move that."

Shinji blushed as he pulled his hand back, "Oh…sorry…"

"What did I say about apologizing…"

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (02:22 - GMT)

Langrage Point 2 (Dark side of the Moon)

Out in the deepness of space, closing in on the Earth Planetary System, was a mass. This mass was not quite a solid, or even a three dimensional object. It's mode of propulsion was something that was beyond humanities understand of space and it lacked any characteristics that would have allowed the sentinel satellites in the area to detect it.

And deep within this mass, beings conversed:

/We have arrived on schedule/ the first one announced to the others.

/Understood Overseer, another spoke/What is the surveyors' assessment/

/Our assessment is that the Lilin, or Humanity, has progressed more so than we had estimated since our last visit. It is not beyond the bounds of possible, but from the records that we have accessed, they managed to split the atom more than 70 Earthen years ago. Also, they recently have begun basic genetic manipulation./

/Interesting/ a fourth, powerful, voice boomed/They may make great adversaries on the battlefield./

A new voice snickered/Everything is about glorious battle, isn't it Ter'la'dim/

Ter'la'dim snarled/I'll rip your core out Iycho/

/Enough/ the Overseer boomed/I'll not have two generals of this expedition quarreling so./

/I'm afraid that they simply cannot coexist/ another spoke/One is the antithesis of the other./

/We are One. Curron/ the Overseer spoke/Remember that./

/I remember./

/One other item that we discovered/ the observer rejoined/A new weapon has recently appeared on a small island country. From what we have been able to learn, it could contend with the Vi'lic./

/The humans have something that could contend with us/ Ter'la'dim snapped.

/Possibly. They are new, and are in the process of being tested./

/Investigate further, Ein'kai/ the Overseer commanded.

/Perhaps we should test this/ a voice that had remain quiet spoke suddenly.

/You mean, launch an assault/ Curron snorted/How crude./

/It gets the task done/ Ter'la'dim retorted/Fern'drik, launch a lance of your Vi'lic/

/That is our consensus/ the Overseer said.

/As you command./

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (14:35)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo, Japan

Asuka glared at Misato, "Why are we here?"

Misato sighed as she wondered if there were any variations on the explanation left to use, "I told you: The Demons…"

"I know that!" Asuka rolled her eyes, "'The Demons are coming! The Demons are coming!' So? Why do we have to wait around here in our Plug Suits? We never did that for the Angels!"

"We didn't know when the Angels were coming than," Rei pointed out.

"Thank you Rei," Misato said.

"Argh!" Asuka lend back against her chair, "This is boring!"

"It could be worse," Shinji looked up from his book, "We could still be sitting in the Evas."

Asuka glanced at him, "I suppose…Do you have another book?"

"I think I have the history book in my locker," Shinji tapped his chin, "I might also have the business section from yesterday's newspaper." At that, Rei blushed slightly.

"Something wrong Rei?" Toji stared at her.

"N-No," she stood, "I have to go use the restroom."

"Well that was odd," Asuka blinked. She turned to Shinji, "Well?"

He stood, "I'll just grab my backpack."

"Thanks," Asuka said.

Toji nearly fell from his seat, "Ack! The Demon _thanked_ him!"

"Prepare to die, Suzuhara!" Asuka growled.

"Shinji! Don't leave me with them!" Misato pleaded mockingly.

"Shut up, Misato," Asuka snorted.

Shinji walked silently down the corridor as he made his way to the locker room. Along the way, many of the techs, guards and other personal would smile, wave, give him a thumbs-up, or even clap him on the shoulder.

Shinji silently shook his head, _All of these people are here, in one way or another, to support me and the other pilots. The entirety of NERV exists for the sake of the Evas and their pilots. _

_The responsibility for protecting the planet is ours. We are the only ones that can do it. What we are doing is important on an unimaginable scale._

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts when he saw someone walking down the corridor. Shinji gulped, "H-Hello Father."

Commander Ikari calmly walked along, and made as to walked past him, when he stopped and turned to him, "Are you prepared?"

Shinji nearly toppled over, but managed to steady himself, "Ah…yes."

Commander Ikari nodded and continued to walk.

Shinji sighed, _Wow. He really talked to me. Must be a sign of Apocalypse…Bad thought._

He turned as saw the Commander Fuyutsuki was also in the corridor. He didn't seem to notice him as he stalked along, a sour expression on his face.

"Commander?" Shinji asked hesitantly.

Fuyutsuki glanced up, "Ah, Pilot Ikari. Is something wrong?"

"N-No," he shook his head, "But I could ask you the same thing."

Fuyutsuki chuckled dryly, "Indeed. The U.N. is started to be nearly as bad as SEELE."

Shinji stared at him, "How?"

"They think that we are…hogging all of the Evas and their pilots," Fuyutsuki snorted.

"But…" Shinji stared, "That's ridiculous. The Angels all attacked here…and all of the leaked information points to them being here! Do they _want_ Demons to come knocking on their doors!"

Fuyutsuki shrugged, "I don't know. All I can say is that you have to do your best."

Shinji nodded, "Don't worry, sir. We will."

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (10:22 - GMT)

Near Earth

The ominous mass neared Earth. it would soon settle in on a geo-synchronous orbit around the Earth as the beings inside made their preparations.

/Overseer, we are nearly ready/ Fern'drik, leader of the Vi'lic, reported.

/Good/ the Overseer responded/Make sure that you allow the X'kai a clear view of the engagement. I will not have resources squandered./

/Understood, Overseer./

/Than launch./

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (19:31)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo, Japan

Kensuke Aida yawned as he glanced over at the others in the room. They had all been on duty for hours on end, and he doubted that Commander Ikari would allow any rest until they had made some sort of contact with the Demons. Not that they could rest after that, but at least they'd be closer to it.

"Any changes?" Fuyutsuki inquired as he stifled a yawn.

"No so far sir…" Ibuki said as was she rubbing her neck, when her console beeped.

"I've got an atmospheric contact!" she announced as all four techs began to type relentlessly.

"Confirmed!" Hyuga shouted, "Vector of contact shows the point of arrival approximately five klicks SW of Tokyo-Thr…Toride!"

"Visual coming online!" Aida said as Commander Ikari entered.

"Status?" he asked calmly.

"Unknown object is making atmospheric entrance," Fuyutsuki told him, "But we didn't detect the object until after it entered the atmosphere."

"I see," Ikari nodded, "Have the Evas go to alert status and transfer them to the Rails."

"Aye, sir," Hyuga nodded, "Major Katsuragi?"

"I got it," she answered from the Secondary Command Room, where she, Dr. Akagi and Kaji would operate from. The precaution of separating into two groups developed after both an evaluation of the occurrences during the attack by the Fourteenth Angel, Zeruel, and an assessment of the probability that NERV could become compromised during a Demon attack.

'Took the bureaucrats long enough,' Misato had said.

"Everyone, move out! Stand by for launch orders!" she barked at the Eva pilots.

"Acknowledged," Rei said with a nod.

"Roger," Shinji said nervously.

"It's about time," Asuka grinned.

Toji's mouth tightened up for a second before he nodded, "Roger that."

_Is this is?_ Misato thought as she glanced from the read-out screen of the sensor data to the Evangelions that were mobilizing in response, _Are they here? More importantly, are we ready?_

"Well know in a few minutes," Ryoji whispered in her ear.

"How is that you can read my mind?" she hissed softly.

He smiled, "Sorry. Trade secret."

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (19:34)

Suzuhara/Horaki Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Hikari jolted upright as the T.V. suddenly blared as the emergency broadcast began.

"It's happening…" she whispered as they hastily mumbled something along the lines of a meteor storm that had previous been thought to safely past by was suddenly threatening the city, and all civilians were to move quickly, but calmly, to the nearest shelter.

"Ayumi! Midori! Sakura!" she yelled, "We have to leave! Now!"

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (19:35)

240 Kilometers (And Falling) above Vi'lic landing zone

/Attention, the Lilin appear to have begun to take action. They seem to be mobilizing most of the population of the area. No sighting of their weapons yet./

/Do they intend for their Basics to fight/

/Most likely they are being moved to shelters./

/Hmm. Curious. But where are these weapons that contend with us/

/We shall see./

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (19:36)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo, Japan

"00, ready."

Shinji took a deep breath before he glanced down at his instruments and than toggled his comm, "Eva-01, ready!"

"Acknowledged 01," Misato's voice filtered through, "Stand by for launch."

"02, ready for action!" Asuka announced.

_Gee, she seems all fired up_, Shinji noted with a faint smile, _I'm glad that she managed to put aside her worries._

"03, ready to rock and roll!" Toji's normal upbeat, even arrogant, tone was there, but seemed dampened slightly.

_Well this is his first real battle,_ Shinji reasoned, _He's doing better than my first experience._

"Alright!" Misato spoke again, "Everyone standby!"

"00 and 03," Hyuga spoke, nervously, but firmly, "will take the north end of the city. 01 and 02 will exit at the outer city exit point east of the north gate."

"Understood," Shinji nodded, _I'm being paired with Asuka? I know its one out of three, but…Must be Misato's doing…oh well. Rei'll take good care of Toji, I'm sure._

"Nervous Shinji?" Asuka commed him privately, her brash, unrelenting smile present on his monitor.

He smiled slightly, "A little. This seems awfully familiar; I thought that we were all done saving the world."

"A hero's, or rather," her sapphire eyes flashed brilliantly as she grinned ferally, "a _heroine's _work is never done."

"_Evas launch_!"

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (19:45)

Toride Tokyo, Japan

/Attention! The humans appear to be utilizing an underground transportation system. Probability that this is the system used to transport their weapon, Codenamed: Evangelion/ the observing X'kai reported from above.

The Vi'lic landing party acknowledged with a mental gesture, just as they made landfall.

"03," Toji said as he squeezed his controls, "in position."

"00, also in position," Rei added, glancing at her monitors to confirm the landing area of the Demons, when a thought struck her, _Why am I with Toji? Granted, there are only three other pilots…Did Major Katsuragi think that I would be best suited to watch Toji? Or does she believe that Pilot Sory…Asuka would perform better in Shinji's company?_

Rei paused at that. She frowned as she realized that she was having such thoughts, _Does this really matter? I have a duty._

_It matters because it results from how they view you._

Rei blinked. It matter to her how they viewed her? Since when…

"Rei, left or right?" Toji asked, interrupting her thought line.

"Left," she said instinctively as she moved to position her Eva on the left side of the barrier wall.

"You okay?" Toji asked after a moment, "You look…distant."

Rei nearly remarked that she always 'looked distant', but stopped herself, "Just reflecting."

He shrugged in her monitor, "'Kay." He winked out as they settled in and waited for their first contact with the beings the Angels called Demons.

"Ready Asuka?" Shinji asked as they moved slowly through the hills in their attempt to catch the Demons in a pincer.

"Of course," she snorted haughtily, causing Shinji to chuckle.

Asuka raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Oh nothing," he grinned, "It's just that that tone reminded my of the first time we met."

"Oh," she sighed, a scene of depression flashed across her face.

"Asuka, it wasn't…I didn't mean it like that," Shinji mentally kicked himself as his mouth scrambled, "It's just that you've only recently become…confident again like you were back than."

"Just the confidence part?" Asuka asked sincerely.

Shinji nodded as he glanced at his monitor, "I got something on my sensors. Don't know if it's them, but what else could it be? Let's get moving."

Asuka opened her mouth than closed it before nodded absently, "Right." Shinji looked slightly puzzled at her before nodded and toggling his comm off.

As soon as he winked out, Asuka clenched her fist and fought off the urge to hit something, _Damn. I couldn't do it **again**! It would have been simple; all I would have had to say was, 'Shinji…you know…back that…Well I'm…I'm…_

She snarled at herself, _Damn it! I can't even say it to myself! What is **wrong** with me!_

_It doesn't matter. It's not like it would help anything. You honestly believe that he could forgive you for all the things that you've done to him. Just be thankful that he took pity on you when you were weak, and didn't kick you while you were down._

Asuka growled at the voice, _It matters to me! I **want** to say it! I want to say that I'm…that I'm…_

Another voice fluttered past in her mind, _Don't push yourself, and don't lie either. If you had wanted to, you would have. After all, you do what you want. Besides, it's not that important. Or aren't you happy with the way things are? For what reason do you want to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness?_

Asuka felt herself seething, _It _matters_ because it _is_ what I want. I just…haven't found the right time yet._

_Yeah right._

_Sure._

Asuka shook her head angrily, _This doesn't matter right now! Me and Shinji have a job to do. What will happen, will happen._

The voices quieted as Asuka reasserted herself and glanced around to make sure she hadn't done anything stupid. She sighed as she clamped her eyes shut for moment, girding herself for the coming fight.

Ryoji Kaji glanced down at his watch, than over at Misato Katsuragi, "So…"

She looked over at him, "So…? So what?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. This is really boring, you know? I mean…we wait and prepare for a month…and when they finally get here, we _still_ have to wait around for them to finally show their faces so we can blow them away."

Misato rolled her eyes, "Oh, get over it. That's just the way it is."

"But why?" he whined mockingly.

She was forming a retort when Toji's voice cut her off, "_Contact_! We have contact!"

At first glance, Toji Suzuhara would have sworn that this was just a case of bad pizza being digested during his sleep. But than he remember exactly where he was, and what he was about to do. The thing that appeared from behind the hill, which was followed by more, was vaguely man-shaped, with scrawny arms and legs, which supported a large torso.

During the thirty days in which they had prepared for the Demons arrival, they all had spent several hours going over the fifteen different types of Angels and what their abilities were. They had also spent a great amount of time examining the physical characteristics of the Angels in order to quickly determine which classification they were.

Misato's voice came back over the comm, "Acknowledge, 03. Can you ID?"

Toji stared at his monitor. The Demons were humanoid, with a large torso and spinally limbs. They were mostly dark gray, white on its extremities, and it had a white mask that could only be the face of the monster. In fact, it was nearly identical to the Third Angel, except that it was…twisted: As if it was a mockery of the Angel that it was a clone of. He replied, "Targets are Alphas."

"I concur," Rei added as Eva-00 shifted and brought its Assault Rifle up to bear on the lead target.

Shinji glanced at the tactical data that had been uploaded from NERV.

"So…" Asuka looked at him through the monitor, "Sachiel mimics, eh."

"Asuka!" Shinji said sharply

"Oh, right," she grunted, "No naming."

Shinji sighed wearily before smiling, "Oh well. We need to commence operations."

"Right," she grinned, "Killing time."

/There are two behind you, gaining, as well as the two just inside the citadel's gates/ the X'kai reported to the Vi'lic//According to our senses, the human's weapons have the Soul Barrier./

/_What_? Are you certain/

/We are certain. Though this doesn't necessarily mean that they have been here, you will have to engage them with your Negators active./

/…Acknowledged/ the leader replied//Engaging./

The leader signaled the two in front to move forward while signaling to two in the back to hold and wait.

Toji grinning manically as the first one entered ranging, "Engaging!" he roared as he left loose with his Gatling Gun.

All of their weapons were loaded with standard rounds to see if the Demons had A.T. Fields that would be able to stop the Human's basic weapons. And from the looks of it, Toji smiled evilly, they didn't.

The two that had crested the hill and had begun to advance on the city were withering under the heavy fire that they were receiving from his Gatling.

"They've been stopped but they don't appear to be taking heavy damage," Rei assessed coolly as she, "Toji, hold fire."

"Holding," he grunted when two more Alphas leapt up from behind the first two, arms extended.

"Warning," Rei commed him, "My A.T. Field appears to be weakening─"

"_Duck and cover_!" Toji yelled as they opened up with streams of blinding white energy. The four streaks of light caused the ground where the Evas had been to erupt and burn like a small volcano and created volumes of tar black smoke.

"_Report_!" Misato demanded.

"We're fine," Toji reported, "Those blasts aren't quite as powerful…but something weird is going on with our A.T. Fields."

"Acknowledged, 03. What's the enemies status?"

"The Gatling's fire seems to have damaged Contact's 1 and 2," Rei said calmly, interrupting Toji, "though they are not completely inoperable."

"Well then," Misato smiled shortly, "Do something about that,"

"Aye-Aye, Ma'am!" Toji leapt back and reached into the armory box that was still cooling on the Rails, "Gauss Guns!"

"Toji, watch your 9!" Rei warned.

"See it!" he grunted as he whipped the heavy weapon out of the locker and leapt back again as Contact's 3 and 4 leapt up into the air, this time clearing the wall, and fired again.

Rei snapped her rifle up and fired a burst of rounds into the undersides of the two Demons overhead, causing Contact 4 to dither slightly as it rotated in the air to face its new opponent. It stretched out his arm to fire at her when a silver slug shattered its torso armor.

"Yeah!" Toji howled as it came back to Earth with a spectacular crash, "Take that you bastard!"

Rei was too busy to make a remark, as Contact 3 hit the pavement like a cat, and twisted around to spring at her.

_They are more maneuverable that I would have thought¸ _she remarked to herself as leapt out of the way, barely evading the Demon, which consequently slammed into the wall. It rebounded off and turned to reacquire its target when it met with same grisly fate as its brother thanks to Toji's Gauss Gun.

"Gee," he smiled as he looked at his handiwork, "it's going to be a chore to pick up all this crap."

"_Incoming_!" Misato warned them, "One and Two are active!"

"Arrgg!" Toji snarled as he half-evaded one of the Demons energy blasts, "Where's Shinji and Asuka?"

"Coming," Misato assured him hurriedly.

"Status?" Shinji asked hurriedly as he and Asuka raced across the hills in an attempt to catch the Demons unaware.

"Toji and Rei have just made contact," Kensuke replied, "Toji's caught two of them with a hail from the Gatling. Also, it appears that they have some sort of method for disrupting A.T. Fields, so you had better be careful. Anyways, so far there hasn't been any sign of…Wait! Two more just jumped out of nowhere!"

Shinji gritted his teeth, _How many? So far Toji and Rei are taking on four Demons, while me and Asuka are just running around−_

"_**Watch it**!_" Asuka screamed as two hulking masses suddenly exploded out of the ground in front of them.

Shinji watched in horror as his A.T. Field suddenly vanished. The only thing that saved Shinji being bisected by the Demons was that the ground that was fissured by the Demons erupting from their hiding place, and gave his Eva enough room to fall and dodge the scything blow from the one on the left.

"Take this you bastard!" Asuka snarled as she leapt and slammed into the Demon, auto-designated Contact 06, with her feet than pushed off, causing it to crash hard.

"Asuka, watch it! You don't have and A.T. Field!" Shinji warned as he leapt out of the hole in the earth that he had escaped into.

Asuka's eyes went wide as she saw it falling towards her; its arm's tip glowing with menacing energy. She had no time to arm herself with her rifle or Prog knife, or to dodge. She only had time to react. The Demon fell to the ground in two pieces; edges of where Asuka's Flare Blade had sliced through were still glowing form the heat.

"Oh well," Asuka shrugged, "Elementals are out!" Far away in the NERV Command Center, Dr. Akagi also shrugged, "Well…it was as good a time as any. Just restrict you use to Engine One."

"Roger," Shinji said shortly as he fired his Wind Pulse at the remaining Demon, which appeared to be stunned by the appearance of Asuka's weapon. The blast of Wind Pulse didn't really damage the Demon, but it knocked it off balance enough to stop it from dodging Asuka slash.

"Well…"Asuka deactivated the sword and straightened up, "is that it?"

"Toji, how are you two?" Shinji clicked on his comm.

"Well…Rei's water pistol took care of one of the others we had…and my Pulse thingy just broke the other's guys arm…Crap! Two more just broke cover!"

"We're on our way," Shinji told him.

Asuka's maniacal grin was apparent over the audio comm, "Let's go Shinji. I want to kill some more things."

The Vi'lic commander, which would be designated Contact 07 by NERV, was utter taken aback.

/How? How is this possible? What sorts of creatures have the Lilin become to create such engines of destruction/

/What are we to do/ the other unscathed Vi'lic asked.

/We cannot go back/ it grunted, knowing what awaited them no matter where they went/For the Glory of the Rebellion/

Asuka leapt over the last hill to see that Rei and Toji has dispatched one of the two Demons that attacked them, leaving only one that had a slightly differently coloration. Instead of just the base gray and white, it had a border of red between the gray and white on its torso.

"Something's up with this last one," Toji remarked.

"Agreed," Rei said as the last one leapt away as its ally lay broken on the hill, pitched out of the city by the blast of the Gauss Gun.

"Is everything alright?" Shinji asked as 01 and 02 approached.

"Well…So far it's looking like that this is the last guy," Toji indicated with the barrel of his Gauss.

"Well…" Asuka flexed her massive fists, "let's take him!"

The Demon backed away slightly, than, as if it realized it had no chance, or just lost its mind, roared and threw itself at the four Evas. It made it half way before disintegrating.

"Target neutralized," Rei stated.

"You know," Asuka arched an eyebrow, "you really should have Kensuke teach you some better victory speeches."

"Good job everybody!" Misato clapped.

"Well that was…a little bit of a let down," Ryoji remarked.

Misato clipped him on the shoulder, "Idiot! This was just the first wave! And they were all Alphas!"

"True," he nodded, "There certain are more dangerous ones…"

Sunday, February 1, 2016 (11:09 - GMT)

Near Earth

The Overseer turned its attention to the X'kai observer/Report./

/The Evangelion of the Lilin are quite powerful. They are being controlled internally by Human pilot. They use a version of the S2 Engine for power, and they have obtained the secret of the Soul Barrier./

/Strong _My'ki_, that use the Engine of God and the Soul Barrier/ the Ren General Iycho snorted/Does anyone doubt that _they_ have been here/

/You cannot expect us to believe that/ Pir'u snapped/This world would greatly add to our resources. Humans themselves are not necessarily fighter material, but we need their resources/

/Enough/ the Overseer snapped/I will decide our next course of action later. I must analyze all of the data./


	14. Chapter 14: Reevaluations

Chapter 14: Reevaluations

Monday, February 2, 2016 (07:48)

First Municipal Junior High, Toride Tokyo

Hikari glanced over at Asuka as she washed her hands in the girl's restroom, "So?"

"So? So, what?" the red-haired college graduate and Junior High student frowned questioningly.

Hikari sighed, "Well…Toji didn't say much about what happened yesterday."

Asuka shrugged, "Not much happened. They weren't very strong, Hikari. From the reports that I've read, those were the analogs of the Third Angel, Sachiel. Not a very strong enemy."

Hikari nodded. The entire student body was ablaze with rumors and whispers about what had happened. Given that they all knew that the four pilots of the Evas resided in Class 2-A, it only intensified the gossip, which in turn led to challenges being flung across the halls like wet towels in a locker room fight.

She sighed as her gazed fell to the floor, "Oh…"

"Okay, what now?" Asuka groaned, "And hurry; class is start soon."

Hikari nibbled at her lip for a moment before looking at her, "Well…It's just with all attention that you are getting…I mean…"

"Let me guess…You're worried that someone might see you over at Toji's place. Which is technically now _your_ place," Asuka finished with a nod.

Hikari stared at Asuka before nodding and smiling guiltily, "Yeah…"

"Don't worry about it," Asuka told her, "It was bound to come out sometime. Just explain what happened. And if anyone gives you any trouble…"

"Asuka…"

The German girl jab her thumb at herself, "Hey, _I_ live with Shinji."

"Yeah," Hikari nodded, "but you have a guardian…"

"Not anymore," Asuka corrected her, "And Misato is going to move out pretty soon too. Whether it's before the wedding, I don't know."

Hikari sighed as she glanced at her watch, "Come on; we have to hurry, or we'll be late."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (10:25)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"I see," Mr. Chan nodded, his projection flickering slightly, "Most impressive."

"Yes," U.N. General Secretary Pavlov agreed, "The Evas dealt with them most effectively."

"Indeed," Mr. Steiner said neutrally.

"Thank you," Commander Ikari spoke formally, "I'm glad that the project was finally able to be put to good use."

Fuyutsuki sighed slightly as he watched the theatrical display from the holo control room. Due to the fact that they had no idea what the listening capabilities of the Demons were, precautions were made that no information about the Angels, or the original purpose of the Evas was to be exchanged by any means of transmission. It also meant that certain…plays were required to 'explain' to the Demons what was going…assume that they _could_ trace and decrypt, and _understand_ what he was watching.

"Think it's just a waste of time?" Kaji asked as he entered.

"Non-unwarranted caution is never a waste of time," Fuyutsuki replied cheerlessly.

"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," Kaji chuckled, "You've been spending too much time around those U.N. plutocrats."

Fuyutsuki growled, "Don't go and get me started on them."

Kaji raised his hands, "Hey, don't shoot me! I'm on your side."

Fuyutsuki regarded his dubiously, "Frankly, Mr. Kaji, that is not the most reassuring statement you could have made. While we are on that topic, just who were you working for before you were killed?"

Kaji shook his head, "It really was just the government and SEELE, Commander."

"Really?" Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow, "Pardon my skepticism."

"What about your sarcasm?"

"Why, Mr. Kaji," Fuyutsuki said dryly, "What ever are you talking about?"

Monday, February 2, 2016 (12:15)

First Municipal Junior High, Toride Tokyo

"Oh brother," Toji groaned as he glanced around, "Did my skin turn green for something, and I just can't see it?"

"I don't think so," Kensuke stared at him intently, "I don't seen any signs of green. However, you may want to see someone about the glowing purple."

"Shut up," he growled, shaking his free fist as he stirred his cup of ramen leftovers from last night.

"What's he saying now?" Asuka inquired as she and Shinji arrived.

"Not much," Kensuke sighed, "He's just trying to help alleviated the pain from the obvious gawking that's going on."

"Ah-ha," she said, turning on her heel and gazed levelly out at the surrounding tables full of students. Many of them quickly averted their gaze, but some were more casual about it, calmly passing their eyes across the table full of NERV agents before returning back to their meals.

"Geez," Hikari snorted, "Don't they have anything better to do. Everyone here _knows_!" About two weeks ago, a NERV representative sent an hour explaining to the entire school, including all of the staff, that they were not to discuss anything related to the fact that five member of the student body were apart of NERV, especially the four Eva pilots.

"I just hope that they don't send in someone to do that again," Shinji groaned.

"Yeah," Kensuke agreed, "That was really awkward."

"Mmm…" Toji nodded as he sipped some broth, "Oh, Hikari. Midori called my cell phone earlier. She said something about a Mrs. Masaki wanting to get a hold of you."

"Huh?" Hikari blinked, "How did she talk to her?"

"I think she said that Mrs. Masaki left a message on the voice mail, and Midori checked it when she got home from her half day."

"A half day?"

He nodded, "I guess it was because of the excitement yesterday."

"Oh…"

"Mrs. Masaki?" Asuka spoke suddenly, setting her box down, "Wasn't she the old lady that lived close to you?"

"Yeah," Hikari nodded, "I wonder what she wants…"

"I'd walk you over there," Toji grunted, "But we all have to head to NERV right after school."

"I don't really need an escort…" Hikari started, frowning, but stopped when she noticed his dark expression.

"I don't like the landlord," he said simply, but in a gravelly tone that no one could mistake.

"I, for one, agree with the id−I mean him," Asuka said, cutting herself off, but not stumbling, "I don't think you going by yourself would be a good idea."

"I'll be fine," Hikari assured them, "If Mrs. Masaki thinks its okay, than it's got to be."

"Hikari…" Toji said warningly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him as she pulled an apple from her bag.

Monday, February 2, 2016 (14:43)

Near NERV HQ, Toride Tokyo

Rei glanced over at Kensuke as the five of them made their way to the Geo-Front, "Kensuke…I have a question."

He glanced at her, "Shoot."

She glanced up at Asuka, who was conversion with Shinji about something to do with a new album from a German rock group, and Toji was walking along silently, seemingly still brooding about the conversation earlier. She turned back to Kensuke and leaned over to him, "Why was Toji and Asuka concerned about Hikari going back to her old apartment alone?"

Kensuke blinked and glanced at Toji reflexively, "Umm…you remember Hikari's old landlord?"

"Yes."

"Well…simply put, Toji and Asuka think he's scum. Why? I don't know; but I trust their judgment," Kensuke told her, "Well…at least Toji's judgment."

"Than why did they allow her to go?"

He shrugged, "Because you can't control other people like that. I mean, sure, if we all thought that it was a _really_ bad idea, than maybe we might do something forceful…But the situation isn't that dire."

Rei nodded slowly, "I…see…"

Kensuke sighed, "I just hope that she's alright."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (14:55)

Toride Tokyo

Hikari Horaki flexed her hands slowly as she stood outside of her old apartment building. Not much had change; still had the same dull gray paint that really needed to be replaced, she noted with a small smirk.

"Okay," she breathed, "Here I go." She pushed the buzzer for the Masaki's residence.

A moment later, a young man appeared and opened the door for her, "Hello, are you here to see Mrs. Masaki?"

"Yes…" she nodded slowly, unsure of where this man had come from.

"Please," he waved, "do come in."

Hikari cautiously followed him in as he spoke rapidly, "I'm sorry about all this. Mrs. Masaki told me to watch the board in case anyone called for her while she was in the back…"

"In the back?" Hikari stopped and opened her mouth to ask another question when Mrs. Masaki presented herself.

"Hikari!" she smiled broadly, "I'm glad to see you again."

"Hello Mrs. Masaki," Hikari smiled as she embraced the older woman, "How are you?"

"Oh, busy," she assured her, "Very busy; what with all that's been happening around here."

"What _has_ been going on," Hikari inquired as she glanced around, "Where is Mr. Mitsuda?"

"Oh, him?" the old woman's face twisted slightly in an unpleasant laugh, "He went to jail more than a week ago for possession of illicit material, and attempting to…well, seduce a minor."

Hikari stared at her for a moment, her brain attempting to correctly process the information, "You mean…"

"That's right," she nodded affirmatively, "And the honorable Mr. Haruno, who really owns the apartment buildings here, decided that my husband and I should take over temporarily until a more suitable replacement can be found."

"You?" Hikari blinked, her mind still racing.

"Yes, Sano and me," she chuckled, "We used to be landlords ourselves many years ago."

"Oh…"

"And Mr. Haruno was even kind enough to lower the rent for us in reparation for the damages," she continued, "mostly to prevent a lawsuit of any kind."

"He lowered the rent!" Hikari exclaimed, "That means…"

"I'm afraid not," Mrs. Masaki said, shaking her head, "About three days after you girls left, a nice young couple by the name of Kurosaki…Ichigo and Rukia, I believe, moved in."

"Oh," Hikari sighed, than shrugged with a forced smile, "Well, it was worth a shot."

Mrs. Masaki nodded, "Speaking of which…how are you and girls doing?"

"We're fine," Hikari told her, "It's been working out as best as it possible could, I guess."

"Have you called your sister yet?"

"…"

"Hikari…"

"I promise I do it soon," she sighed.

"I see," she nodded, "How is your friend adjusting?"

"Toji?" Hikari's head snapped over to look at Mrs. Masaki, "Well…umm…"

"Alright Hikari," the older woman sighed in a motherly way, "what's the problem?"

"Well…I, umm…I don't really know if there's a problem…"

"Trust me," she patted Hikari on the shoulder and motioned her to a chair, "if you don't know if there's a problem, than you have a problem."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (14:59)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato Katsuragi sighed in despair as she allowed the stack of papers in her hand to fall freely onto her cluttered desk, "This sucks."

"Come now, Major," Doctor Akagi said sardonically, "You can pull you weight in paper around here."

"I do not weigh that much!"

"Whatever two are talking about, I'm not getting involved," Kaji said as he entered.

"Coward," Misato said accusingly, "Aren't you going to unquestionably defend me?"

"I would," he assured her, "except that I heard two words that would make this a loss-loss situation for me: You and weight."

"What are you saying…" she started.

"Sirs," Aoba entered, "the…the Children have arrived from school."

"Saved by the kids," Kaji whispered to himself, "Okay, I'll meet them and head over to the conference room."

"Get back here!" Misato shook her fist at him.

Shinji glanced over the paper that a NERV officer he had never seen before had passed out. It was a brief summery of everything that the NERV scientists had been able to determine about the Demon…bodies from their first contact.

"Hmmm," Asuka frowned slightly as she read through her copy, "that's really odd."

"What?" Shinji asked.

"The Angels were all basically the same in composition," she answered with a hint of irritation, "Even really weird ones like the Eleventh. Anyways, the Demons seen to have similar compositions…or rather, they _should_ have similar compositions, but don't."

"That's right, Pilot Soryu," Dr. Akagi confirmed, "The materials that the Angels were composed of would be very time intensive to create if they were not found naturally."

"What if they had a quicker way?" Toji asked.

"It doesn't really matter," Akagi told him, "The atomic structure in their materials are extremely complex. The Demon materials, however, are…well, in layman's terms, they are substandard; as if a contactor cut corners to save time and money. It's like these Demons knew how to build an Angel, but didn't want to take the time to do it."

"They exchanged quality for quantity and completion time," Asuka remarked.

"But why?" Toji asked, "It's obvious that any Angel could take any Demon of equal weight."

"Yes," Akagi nodded, "But two? Four? A dozen? Especially considering that they can negate A.T. Fields. That, and we have no idea as to the scale of the Angel and Demon conflict, nor do we know how many each side has, or how fast they can reproduce. After all, the Angels sent seventeen, including Adam and Lilith, the progenitors, whereas the Demons, in their first wave, sent eight. That's nearly half."

"Oh…" Toji blinked, "Oh, crap."

"Indeed," Akagi nodded.

"But they are easier to kill," Asuka pointed out, "We just have to prevent ourselves from being overwhelmed."

"If you put it that way, yes," Akagi nodded, "But we also have to keep in mind that we don't really know what's going on. The Angels and the Demons both came; why? From the evidence that we have gathered, we, the human race, were once an Angel; or at least something similar to that. But why, after all these years are they back now?"

"Adam and Lilith said something about Humanity being in an adolescence," Shinji said, "That we were beginning to be worthwhile to conquer, but not strong enough to defend ourselves."

"Maybe," Akagi said, "But than why weren't the Demons camping on our doorstep, waiting? Why are the Angels acting in such secrecy? Why the Dead Sea Scrolls and everything else?"

"I highly doubt that you will be getting any answers to that," Commander Ikari said as he entered, "And I believe you have strayed from purpose of the meeting."

"Just make conversation while we waited for you, sir," Akagi said evenly.

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:15)

Toride Tokyo

"…and so that's about it," Hikari said as she gingerly traced her finger around the lip of her flowery teacup.

"Mmm," Mrs. Masaki nodded as she sipped from her cup, "I see…You think that he's trying to ignore the fact that he has greater responsibilities and live like any normal fourteen year old boy; that he won't face the fact that he is the head of his own house and live like that."

"I…I don't know what to think," Hikari continued, "Toji is…It's just that I don't see why he said those things; why he thinks that way."

"Hikari dear," the kindly old woman smiled, "you have to understand that he is only fourteen; you both are.

"I remember what you and your sisters went through when your parents died. Yes, it was tragic and it was very hard on all of you. And you and Kodama had to step up and take responsibility for your younger sisters; you two couldn't afford to be a normal girls like you should have been able to. But that doesn't mean that you grew up: Even though you took responsibility for your family when Kodama went to America, you're still a fourteen year old girl in Junior High." she said kindly, "And so is your friend. I don't know when or how his parents died, but it's obvious that he's in a similar situation. It's just that he doesn't want to have _be_ an adult, with everything entailed."

"But we can't be kids," Hikari argued, "We can't afford to be like normal teenagers; we have too many responsibilities."

"I know that Hikari," she nodded, "But are you saying that Toji _doesn't_ do anything that a normal person his age normally wouldn't do?"

"Well…" Hikari reddened slighty, _He is an Eva pilot…But I can't say that…_

"Maybe I've been a little too hard on him," Hikari sighed.

"It's alright," Mrs. Masaki smiled encouragingly, "We all make mistakes from time to time. Yes he may not act the way you think he should, but that doesn't mean that he isn't entitled to be his age from time to time. You just have to remind him that he is an adult when he needs to be one. And there aren't many things that he has to be adult for right now, are there?"

"Not really…" Hikari's blush deepened.

"There," she nodded, "You see? You would do well to learn that lesson too. You don't need to be so hard on yourself, Hikari."

"Right…" she nodded, "Thank you Mrs. Masaki."

"You're welcome dear."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:22)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato followed Ritsuko out of the conference room to her lab, "So what was all that about?"

"Huh?" the blond doctor jerked sharply, startled by the question.

Misato rolled her eyes, "Come on…You started rolling pretty hard just before Commander Ikari showed up."

"Oh," she sighed, "That."

"Yes that," Misato growled in annoyance, "Where did all of that come from?"

Dr. Akagi sighed as she massaged her temple, "It's…it's been a long time coming. I mean…we find out all of this information: Humanity was originally an Angel; the Angels, or rather, Adam and Lilith came to prepare us for the Demons; the Demons are of similar, but inferior, composition as found in the Angels…All of that, Misato. We have all of that, plus everything from the prophecies from the undocumented Dead Sea Scrolls that SEELE had…It just…it just doesn't compute right! Something is missing!"

Misato stood against the open door, staring at her, "I don't know what to say. We've had really weird things before…"

"Yes," she snorted, "But usually I had most of the answers."

"Well this time no one has the answers," Misato shrugged as she turned to leave.

"And than there's the whole thing about us having to hide the Angels' influence here," Ritsuko continued, stopping Misato, "Why? Why can't the Angels defeat them? And why are we being used as a chess piece?"

"What?" Misato blinked.

"That's what it looks like," Ritsuko sighed, "The Angels are superior to the Demons, no question. The only thing that I can think of is that the Demons are playing with the whole 'quantity is a quality all in its own' philosophy."

"The only reason they haven't beaten the Demons is because they outnumber them?" Misato blinked.

"Well…if you think about it, the Angels only sent fifteen, whereas the Demons, with a supposedly small force mind you, have already sent more than half that. _And_," Ritsuko said emphatically, "they appear to be looking for ways to increase their numbers by any means."

"Hmmm," Misato frowned as she tapped her chin, "Well, I don't know of any faults in your reasoning…but it's not like you know everything that's going on, either…"

"That's why I'm annoyed," she grunted, "I _think_ I know…but I don't have anyway to know."

"Yeah…" Misato nodded in agreement, "This sucks."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:25)

Toride Tokyo

Asuka stretched her arms as she, the other Eva pilots, and Kensuke filed out of the elevator, "Well? Now what…"

"I'm going to check on Hikari," Toji statement bluntly.

"Ah, right," Asuka clicked her tongue, than glanced at Toji.

"What?" he said snapped.

"Oh nothing…" she sniffed, than smiled evilly.

Toji growled, but didn't say anything in response.

"Well, call if you need anything," Shinji said as he glanced at Asuka.

"Right," he nodded shortly, "See ya."

"Bye," Kensuke waved as Toji jogged off. He turned to the others, "Well? Anything else for today?"

"Nope," Asuka said as she nudged Shinji, "He's got to get home to make dinner, though."

Shinji sighed, "You could take a turn you know…"

"Whatever," Asuka smiled cheekily.

"See you than," Kensuke said as the 'odd couple' headed off.

"…Umm," Rei spoke up.

"Oh, Rei," Kensuke nearly jumped, suddenly feeling very nervous, "Sorry…I thought you had already left…"

"…Oh…" she glanced downward.

"Ah," he nearly reached over to her, "It's…it's just that you were quiet; that's all! Umm…you want to do something?"

Rei looked up sharply, than glanced around anxiously, "I…umm…"

"We could…umm…we could get a quick bite to eat," Kensuke proposed nervously.

Rei looked at him quickly, than glanced down, "I…I suppose that would…okay…"

"Good!" Kensuke grinned, and did a short bow with his fist on his chest, "Shall we?"

Rei grinned, clearly blushing, but managed cover up her nervousness, "Okay."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:30)

Toride Tokyo

"You're being feisty today," Shinji noted as he and Asuka made their way back to the apartment.

"Huh?" she said innocently, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were poking Toji pretty hard back there. We have a truce, remember?"

"Yeah well," Asuka grunted huffily, "If he's going to be so blatant about it…"

"He's just concerned about her," Shinji responded, "I am too…"

"But not nearly as much," she stopped and pointed at him, "See? He's a lot more concerned than you."

"So that means that they're a couple?" Shinji said wearily.

"Yes!" she said emphatically.

"And what about us?" Shinji said more calmingly than he had thought possible.

Asuka froze for a second as her face turned cherry red, "Wha…What?"

Shinji swallowed nervously, "It's been nearly a month now…"

Asuka turned as she started walking again, "That…That's different…"

"Is it?" he asked uncertainly.

Asuka whirled around, her face a vivid expression of embarrassment and unease, "Why are you even bringing this up!"

Shinji took a breath, "Because…Because we're growing up; because Misato is moving out soon and…and we aren't."

Asuka blinked, but didn't speak as Shinji continued, "I'm saying this, Asuka…because I don't know where we stand anymore. Somewhere along the line this last month…we changed. We're friends, yes; but we aren't _just_ friends like we use to be."

Asuka blinked than smiled slightly, "Only you would say that we were friends before…"

"We were," he insisted with a matching smile.

Asuka sighed heavily, "Okay, I see your point. So…What do you want to do about it?"

Shinji exhaled, "I don't really know…but, it's something we should think about."

"Right…" Asuka nodded than grabbed his hand, "But for now, you're going to go make dinner!"

Shinji smiled as he was pulled along, "Sure."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:41)

Toride Tokyo

Toji wheezed as he approached the apartment complex and glanced at his watch, "Not bad timing," he told himself, "I just don't know if I hope she's still here…"

He approached the door and buzzed. A moment later, a young man appeared, "Yes, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a Ms. Hikari Horaki," Toji said as calmly as possible.

"Ah," he blinked in recognition, "And you are?"

"Toji Suzuhara. I'm a classmate of hers, and we were supposed to meet up," he said carefully.

"Hmm," the man nodded. He opened the door and let Toji in, "I'll go and find her. Please wait…"

"Toji?" Hikari said from across the lobby as she exited the back office.

"Hey," he said as he made his way over to her, "You alright?"

"She's quite fine," Mrs. Masaki said from behind Hikari.

"Hey," Toji pointed, "You're that old lady from before."

She chuckled, "Yes, I am. I'm Mrs. Masaki; I've known the Horakis for a long time, and I wanted to catch up with Hikari."

"Right…" Toji said as he glanced around, "So where's the creep?"

"You mean Mr. Mitsuda?" Hikari grinned, "He's been incarcerated."

Toji blinked as he tried to remember what that meant when Hikari restated it, "He's in jail for going after a minor."

Toji frowned for moment, than grinned, "Well, well…there is justice after all."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:42)

Toride Tokyo Upper City Mall, Toride Tokyo

Rei glanced up from her basket of curly fries as Kensuke sat down and handed her a chilled can of apple juice, "Thanks."

"Sure," he smiled, still a tad nervous with the situation.

"Umm…" Rei bit her lip as she fumbled with can, "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh?" Kensuke jolted up from his fried chicken, "Err…sure."

"I…umm…I was wondering…," she stammered as she tapped the lip of her can, "You said earlier that…that we were…friends, right?"

"Yeah…" he nodded, wondering where this was going.

"It's just…" she paused to take a breath, "It's just that…if I were in a…situation like Hikari…would you worry about me like Toji did?"

Kensuke stared at her for moment before he answered, "Sure I would! We're friends, so of course I would worry about you."

"Umm…" she nodded as her face turned a shade of pink, "It just that…I was wonder…"

"You were wondering what?" Kensuke prompted her.

"Umm…" she swallowed, "I was wondering…if…if we were friends like Toji and Hikari…"

_Oh crap_, Kensuke stared at her, _What do I say? I mean…I like her…but…but I've only really known her for about a month…_

"Umm…" Kensuke smiled nervously, "Well…that's not really…not really possible."

"Huh?" Rei's eyes widened for a second before she looked away, "Oh."

"I…I didn't mean it like that!" he said hurriedly, "It just that…well, they have a…unique relationship."

She frowned slightly as she look up at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" he exhaled in relief, "I'm not Toji and you aren't Hikari, for one thing. Everyone has a unique relationship with everyone else: Toji and Hikari, Toji and me, me and Hikari…Shinji and Asuka…," he shrugged, "It's just that you can't compare our rela…tionship with…umm…Toji and Hikari…" he blushed crimson at his last words.

Rei stared at him for a moment before responding hesitantly, "I…I see…"

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, "It just…well…umm…"

Rei glanced down at her fries than back up at him, "Umm…"

Kensuke sighed, "I don't know…I've never really been close friends with a girl before…"

"I've never really had a friend before…" Rei added.

"Well," Kensuke straightened up, "I guess will figure this out together than."

Rei's face brightened up, "Sure."

Monday, February 2, 2016 (15:41)

Toride Tokyo

Toji and Hikari walked slowly as they made their way back to their apartment.

"So…umm…How is everyone?" Toji asked.

"Fine," Hikari nodded, "Mrs. Masaki and her husband took over the management of the apartment while Mr. Haruno finds a more permanent replacement."

"I see…" Toji nodded, "I suppose…someone has already taken over your apartment…"

"Yep," she sighed, "Mrs. Masaki said that their nice though…I'm not angry or anything…"

"Just no turning back," Toji commented.

"That happened awhile ago," Hikari replied.

"Hmm…" Toji nodded.

They continued to walk in silence for a block when Hikari took a breath and turned to him, "Toji…umm…"

He frowned, "What?"

"Umm…" Hikari glanced at him nervously, "Ah…I just wanted to apologize…"

He stared at her, "For what?"

"You know…the other day…when I got mad at you…"

He blinked than nodded, "Oh that…It's not big deal…"

"It is to me," she said firmly, "I just…I guess that with the way I had to grow up…I guess I just thought that you should have been more like me…"

"Hey," he smiled faintly, "I probably should be…"

Hikari rolled her eyes, "That's not the point…That point is…is that we _are_ fourteen…and…"

"Hey, it's okay," Toji insisted.

Hikari sighed, "Okay…if you insist…"

"Good," Toji nodded.

They walked another block before Toji turned to her, "Umm…"

She blinked she as she looked up at him, "What?"

"I…Umm…I just wanted…I'm glad you're alright."

Hikari smiled, "Thanks."

Tuesday, February 3, 2016 (01:21 - GMT)

Near Earth

/Have you come to a conclusion, Overseer/ Iycho inquired.

/I cannot conclude anything regarding Humanity's involved with…them/ the Overseer said/But after review all of the data…I believe a more vigorous assault on the city of Toride Tokyo will be able to destroy their main defenses./

/Shall I lead them/ Ter'la'dim asked eagerly.

/You and your troops will not be needed in this attack/ the Overseer told him/Its will be regulated to the Lesser forces./

/But…/

/Silence. I will brook no rebellion./

/…As you say, Overseer./


	15. Chapter 15: Onslaught

Chapter 15: Onslaught of the Demons

Wednesday, February 4, 2016 (23:51 - GMT)

Near Earth

/Is everything in readiness/ the Overseer inquired.

/It is as you have commanded/ Fern'drik replied/The lances of both the Vi'lic, and of the Yo'rik slaves have just boarded the Dei'numi and are ready for the assault./

/Are the Dei'numi ready to board the Triv'nori/ the Overseer asked.

/Nearly/ Fern'drik growled/The Tur'rai and the Fer'dao lances took longer than…expected to board./

/They needed adequate time to ready themselves/ Wei'kii, the Fer'dao General snapped.

/Stop this/ the Overseer commanded.

/Overseer/ Iycho spoke smoothly/I still do not see why you do not send my Ren down. It would surely benefit us to know more of humanity. And our intelligence would be much better if we had sources on the ground…/

/You insult us/ Ein'kai pulsed.

/How quick you are/ Ter'la'dim sneered/to desire to change yourself. Do you find no joy in your own form? Can you not stand your own skin, or are you compelled to take the forms of others/

/_Enough_/ the Overseer boomed/I will not tolerate this…/

/I meant no offense/ Iycho said quickly/I merely implied that the appearance of these guardians…these…Evas may point to a link from humanity to the _Eng_…/

/**_DO NOT SPEAK THEIR NAME_**/ the Overseer roared/_We will not tolerate your lack of decency by speaking their name_/

/I apologize, Overseer/ Iycho said subserviently.

/We remember…/ the Overseer growled/We remember that time, so long ago…When all of you had not been even been created; not seen the Power, had not tasted it for yourselves. We remember the _Szhizm_. Do not speak of them./

/Yes, Overseer/ the Generals spoke in unison.

/It is not apparent if the humans have been Touched yet. Even if they have been, it does not appear to be a very strong Touch. Either way, we will take them, or destroy them. That is our way./

/The Way of the _Udun_/ they chanted.

/Commence the attack. Destroy or capture the Evas./

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (08:00)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Major Misato Katsuragi, Evangelion Operations Officer of NERV, rubbed her neck as she sat down on her couch petted Pen-Pen on the head, "Hey."

"Wark," it responded absentmindedly as it stared at the Nature Channel on the television.

"What am I going to do with you?" Misato rubbed his head feathers ruefully, "You want to move with me? Live at Kaji's after…well, after I move."

It turned to her and blinked, "Wark."

She sighed, "I'm better off just asking Shinji and Asuka if they want to take care of you; you won't care so long as you get your beer and have the television."

"Wark."

Misato was about to thwack him when the phone ran. She glared at him, "You're one lucky bird; you know that?"

"Wark."

"Grr…," she answered the phone, "Hel−"

"_We've got a situation_!" Lieutenant Hyuga screamed, "_You have to get here ASAP_!"

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (08:01)

First Municipal Junior High, Toride Tokyo

"…and as you can see," Mr. Uchida said as he pointed with his laser to the projected image of a map of medieval Europe, "France and Britain…"

"Mr. Ikari, Mr. Suzuhara, Mr. Aida, Ms. Soryu and Ms. Ayanami!" one of the office secretaries cried upon bursting through the door, "A call from NERV! It's an emergency!"

"What is it?" Asuka asked as they all quickly got up and ran to the door.

"How should I know?" she gulped, "They're sending a car for you…No evacuation as been ordered as of yet…"

"Might was well do it anyways," Mr. Uchida said grimly, "Class: Emergency evacuation."

Everyone else in the class shuffled into lines as the Children and Kensuke scrambled to the main entrance of the school.

Hikari watched them go, whispering under her breathe, "Be careful…"

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (08:06)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato raced through the traffic like it was a formula-one track and nearly wasted three cars on two separate occasions. She gritted her teeth as she raced through a light, dodged a large truck, and squealed around a corner as she blew through the NERV parking garage checkpoint.

The guard blinked and sighed, "Morning Major…"

She nearly forgot to grab her ID as she dashed from her car to the elevators, where another guard was holding the door for her. By the time, she made it to the Command Center, it was only a semi-out-of-control chaotic mess.

"Major," Commander Ikari snapped as soon as she entered his vision, "take charge of the plotting while we wait for the pilots to arrive. Fuyutsuki, Kaji and I are moving to the Secondary Command in case of compromise."

"Aye, sir," she nodded, as she turned to Akagi, "What's the situation."

"Approximately seven minutes ago, we detected a large object entering the atmosphere. Falling here," she pointed to a position just north of Toride Tokyo.

"How big?" Misato asked.

"You remember the Tenth?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh crap…"

"Exactly. It's a Theta," Ritsuko nodded, "We have…nine minutes and some seconds before the whole of Toride is turned into a crater if the Evas don't stop it."

"What a second! The Demons can negate the A.T. Fields!"

Akagi glanced at her, "I know. But I looked at the data, and developed a theoretical way around that."

"Theoretical!"

"I haven't had a chance to test it!" Akagi snapped, "But by modifying the atomic variance in the projection field, the A.T. Field should be operation on a different frequency than their destabilizing system."

"Should! If that doesn't work─"

"Than they'll be in the same boat as the rest of Tokyo-3. Toride," Akagi clicked her tongue,

Misato stared at her, than sighed, ""Where are they?"

"On the way. I've gotten their Plug suits out of the locker room; they can change in the hall."

Misato nodded absentmindedly, "Right…How much extra time will we have?"

"Not much," Ritsuko tapped the screen, "Assuming that the kids arrive in three minutes, take a minute or two to get into their suits; another minute to get to the Evas…"

"It adds up fast," Misato nodded in agreement, "Let's hope that we have enough time."

The doctor was about to turn away, but Misato stopped her, "What do you mean, on a different frequency?"

Akagi glanced at her, "The current, and usual frequency allows the A.T. Field to stop every down to the quark level. However, at the modified frequency, they have gaps that are a nanometer wide."

Misato stared, "Huh?"

"Nevermind."

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (08:10)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"_WHAT_!" Asuka yelled, horrified.

"Asuka, we don't have any time!" Shinji snapped hurriedly as he grabbed his Plug Suit from the technician.

"Please, Miss," the other technician pleaded with her, "We don't have time…"

"I am _not_ changing my clothes in the fraking _hallway_!" Asuka roared as she clutched her Plug Suit.

"But−"

"Asuka," Shinji grunted as he pulled his shirt off, "Just let us change and go on ahead, okay?"

"Hey…" Toji started to object.

"Stow it, Toji," Shinji said firmly. Toji grumbled something, but continued to remove his shirt as well.

Asuka blinked at Shinji, wondering where that had come from when she suddenly jolted herself out of her reprieve and grabbed Rei and forced to turn around with her.

Rei stared at her, "What…"

"That's nothing you need to see," Asuka grunted, her face a warm pink.

Shinji grunted as he settled into the cockpit of 01, "What's the clock at?"

"Just under two minutes!" Ritsuko snapped, "You have to _move_!"

"Roger," Shinji nodded as flipped a switch and maneuvered his Eva over to the Rail Launcher.

"03, ready for launch!" Toji announced.

"_Launch_!" Misato ordered.

Shinji set himself into place, "Ready!"

"_Launch_!"

Shinji's body jolted from the suddenly acceleration. He tightened his grip on his two controllers as he torn through the underworld of the place formerly known as Tokyo-3.

"02, set!" Asuka's voice shouted over the comm.

"00, ready!" Rei said a moment later.

"Launch!" Misato called out, her voice slightly less stranded as all four Evas mobilized against the threat.

"You'll have about a minute to reach the target and intercept it," Dr. Akagi told them.

Rei frowned suddenly and ponder out loud "Can't negate the field?"

"We think we dealt with that," Akagi told her hurriedly, "So move it!"

"Roger!" Shinji acknowledged as he came to a suddenly stop, and the door in front of him slid open.

Shinji stared few a second, gapping at the sight of the Demonic meteor.

"Shinji, _go_!" Misato snapped.

"Right!" he nodded, as he hurled his 72-meter tall machine forward. He caught sight of Toji, who was about a kilometer ahead of him, "Toji, take the far north side!"

"Roger!" he replied.

"We're up!" Asuka announced, "Let's get the bastards!"

Shinji grinned despite himself, "Well, you heard the lady."

"Darn right," Asuka mirrored his grin.

"Doctor!" Maya Ibuki snapped suddenly, "Look at this! The target is registering a massive energy buildup!"

"What!" Akagi turned to her, "What is it?"

"Don't idea," she said, "but whatever it is…"

"Wait!" Misato leaped to her feet, "Remember how the Tenth launched its A.T. field?"

Akagi's eyes widened as Kensuke, who had just settled into his seat slapped his comm on, "Toji you have to _move_ it! It's going to fire an energy pulse!"

"_What_?"

"Just go!" Shinji urged him as he accelerated his own Eva to a point where keeping 01 from slipping and tumbling the rest of way was a chancy thing.

"Come on!" Asuka yelled hoarsely.

"Yeeaagghhh!" Toji roared as 03 entered the target area and starting skidding as Toji erected his A.T. Field.

"It's firing!" Maya yelled.

"_I got it_!" Toji screamed as his extended his arms up.

The energy wake smashed into Toji's barrier, slamming 03 down and breaking the earth around his feet, "I'm losing my balance!" he cried, "But at least the A.T. Field is holding!"

"I got it!" Shinji shouted as he arrived and immediately reinforced Toji.

"We're here!" Asuka announced with a shout, as she and Rei added their own A.T. Fields to the effort.

"Here it comes!" Kensuke warned them as the Demon called a Theta crashed down on them, threatening to crush them all.

"_Arrrggghhh_!" Asuka growled as the ground underneath her Eva cracked.

"Its kinetic energy appears to be dropping," Rei pointed out.

"What?" Shinji frowned.

"Doesn't matter!" Asuka rumbled, "Just hold it while I gut the thing!"

"Right!" Shinji nodded as he shifted his Eva closer to the center to hold her share of the weight.

"Here I go!" she shouted as she drew a Prog Knife.

She was about to thrust the weapon into the Theta when it suddenly lifted off of the Eva's A.T. Fields and floated away gently.

"What the…?" Toji stared.

"What's going on?" Misato demanded from HQ.

"What _is_ going on?" Shinji blinked, "I thought that…that it was supposed to slam into the ground…"

"It may have additional functions," Rei said warningly, "Watch it."

The pilots watched anxiously as the kilometer long Demon floated easily above the ground, as if mocking them that they had failed despite stopping it from turning the city into a crater. And then it happened; on the bottom of the Theta's belly, a portal opened, exposing its dark cavernous insides.

"What that…?" Toji stared.

"What's it doing?" Kensuke asked back NERV to no one in particular.

"Anything?" Dr. Akagi asked.

"Nope," Maya shook her head.

"What do we do now?" Shinji asked Misato.

"I don't…" she started to respond when four large diamond-shaped objects dropped out of the Demon and came to halt mere meters above the ground.

"Oh crap…" Shinji started.

Asuka suddenly screamed on the comm, "Our A.T. Fields are gone!"

"_Evasive actions_!" Rei shouted a second before the energy weapon on the Fifth Analogs opened fire.

"_Fifth Analogs_!" Misato cried in shock.

"Confirmed!" Hyuga shouted, "Targets are Gammas!"

"What now!" Kensuke asked in a panic, "There A.T. Fields!"

"Hyuga!" Akagi snapped, "We need the Positron Rifles, now!"

"On it!" he shot out the door.

"This is insane!" Maya cursed under her breath.

"No kidding," Akagi agreed with her, and dropped her head, "I guess my idea for modifying the A.T. Field was knew either."

"Hey, at least they weren't crushed," Misato managed a smile.

"YEAAAGGHHH!" Shinji screamed as he narrowly dodged the beam from one of the obsidian colored monoliths.

"Guys!" Misato called them urgently, "We're sending for the Positron Rifles now, so you have to hold out for a little while…"

"Sure!" Asuka snarled as she activated her Level 2 Elemental Engine, "We'll just hold out and wait for the expensive guns to arrive and get set up while we're being blasted at!" She leaped and hurled the Plasma Bomb, burning ball the size of her Eva's fist. The flaming ball arched across the sky and exploded on contact with the lead Gamma, leaving a glowing scorch mark on it.

"Crap…" Asuka growled as she dodged another beam.

"Huh?" Toji stared as he hid behind a hill, next to 00, "What now?"

The Theta's had cleared the Evas out of their immediate area and had momentarily ceased firing. They were had drawn together in formation and were now opening slots on their sides facing away from the Evas.

"What now?" Asuka moaned.

"Oh crap…" Kensuke said over the comm as he stared at the satellite images he was watching, "This isn't good…"

"New contacts are identified as Alphas. Count at fifteen," Rei said slowly.

"Different new contacts as well," Shinji said alertly, "Looks like Betas…five of them…"

Toji gritted his teeth as the information was brought up on his screen: Betas; Fourth Angel Analogs. Primarily observed as floating attack platforms with an energy ribbon weapon.

"So now what?" Asuka said as she crawled over where Toji and Rei were hunkered down.

"Okay!" Misato called through comm, "Toji and Rei will make their way to Rail Port and retrieve the rifles while Asuka and Shinji take care of the Demon troopers and keep the Gammas busy."

"What!" Asuka snapped, "Why us?"

Rei frowned as she pondered the same thing, but didn't speak.

"You're complaining about being given the job of trashing on a lot of Demons?" Shinji asked incredulously.

"I just want to know why," she retorted.

"Because," Misato gritted slowly, "Rei's the best shot; Toji can raise earthen barriers, and considering that your don't have A.T. Fields, that's the best you're going to get; and you and Shinji are the best equipped for whipping the floor with all those Alphas. Okay?"

"Umm…" Toji cleared his throat, "They're, er, on their way over."

"Crap!" Misato apparently saw the visuals, "Just go!"

00 and 03 rose quickly and shot off towards the awaiting weapons while 01 and 02 inched over and glanced around the rocky barrier as they prepared to attack. As he got a better look of the Fourth Analogs, Shinji noted subtle and not so subtle differences between them and the original: Like the Alphas, the Betas were of a different coloration and had a bit of a used look. Also, the spikes that ran down the spine and sides of Betas were curved, poisonous looking things and the mandibles on head were far more fearsome than those of the Angel.

"Well…" Asuka grunted as she flexed her massive hands, "Shall we?"

Shinji blinked before smiling, "Yes. Let's."

"Well?" Toji demanded, "When are the stupid rifles going to be here?"

"Just a second!" Misato hissed, "There was some trouble unloading them from their cradles!"

"Well sorry," he snapped harshly, "but Shinji and the Demon are in the middle of a mosh pit of Demons while me and Rei are chilling here!"

"I _know_ that!"

"This arguing is not productive," Rei interrupted them coolly.

Misato twitched slightly at Rei's reprimand before shaking off her bewilderment, "You're right…Listen it'll be up quick, okay? Besides, it looks like Shinji and Asuka are doing just fine…"

"This sucks," Asuka growled as she and Shinji paused to take a breather while the Alphas regrouped. For the last five minutes, they had been on the run while the Alphas and the Betas tried to harass them into the open for the Gammas to get a clean shot. Things weren't really looking up for them.

"We need to take out the Betas at least," Shinji said, "That will at least cut down on their mobility."

"Sure," Asuka retorted, "How? They've got the Gammas to protect them! We can't get close enough to kill them…" She trailed off.

"What?" Shinji asked as he glanced around the corner.

"We need to get close to those Alphas and Betas. Once we're at melee range, the Gammas won't fire," Asuka said confidently.

Shinji frowned, "What makes you think that?"

"They're taking too much effort to get us out without directly engaging. The most effective way they would have to hitting us would be for them to engage us and than shoot; not try and scare us out as if they were goose hunting."

Shinji blinked, "Well…that makes sense…"

"Come on!" she urged him as she noticed a Beta closing in, "We've go to move to a better spot to ambush them if this is going to work!"

"Er…right," Shinji nodded, hoping that Asuka wasn't just on a glory hunt.

They cut through a narrow cleft and were now on the edge of the city, where they crouched and waited.

"Hey Misato," Shinji called, "What's taking so long?"

"Er…" Misato said edgily, "Nothing important…Toji and Rei will be armed real soon…"

Shinji stared at her balefully and was about to said something when Asuka yelled, "_Now_!"

Shinji followed her without thinking, hoping to blazes that they weren't getting themselves into too deep a hole. Out in the open, he saw what they were ambushing: Five Alphas and a Beta.

"That this you bastards!" Asuka roared as she activated her Flare Blade and thrust it through the nearest Alpha.

Shinji reacted instinctively: He activated his Chained Lightening engine, targeted the nearest Alphas and fired. According to Dr. Akagi, the Chained Lightening operated by first sending out weak electrical pulses that would 'paint' the intended targets, followed by a massive discharge of electricity that was draw to the targeted points. The end result, Shinji noted with satisfaction, was three Alphas on the ground with darkened splotches on their chest and back.

"Nice," Asuka commented as the last Alpha fell to the ground, split from head to waist.

Shinji blinked, _Sure Asuka has been a lot nicer to lately…but a _compliment? _This is getting freaky…_

Shinji shook himself out of his reverie as a bad feeling crawled its way up his spine. He glanced up to see the Beta had moved up a ways…Oh crap… "Asuka, _run_!"

A split second later, a massive blast of white light exploded the ground where he had just been. It vaporized the remains of the Alphas they had slaughtered, along with a good chunk of earth.

"That was too close!" Asuka breathed heavily, "Come on! We have to get back under cover!"

"Right!" Shinji agreed as he sprinted for the cleft.

Asuka shook her head, "Geez, those bastards didn't waste anytime once their units were toa−YEEAGGG!"

"_Asuka_!" Shinji screamed as he saw what was happening: The Beta had swooped in and had snagged her Eva's leg, and had hoisted it up in the air.

In his mind, Shinji saw the future: The Beta would throw Asuka up into the air, she would fly, than fall, and one of the Gammas would shoot her out of the sky like a skeet disc. And there wasn't anything he could do about it…

_Stop it! You have to do something!_

_What? The only thing I _could_ do is Chained Lightening, but the capacitor hasn't been replenished yet!_

_So? You can do! You can save her! You have to!_

Shinji gritted his teeth as he watched the flame-red 02 being swung through the air, _No choice…I just got to hope that this works…whatever it is…_

As he set himself to make the jump, he thought he heard Misato's voice, but whatever she may have been saying was blocked out by his concentration, his scream, and the roar of wind.

"We got the guns!" Toji shouted as he ripped them off the rack and tossed one to Rei.

"_Move it_!" Misato shouted, "Asuka and Shinji are in the middle of a brawl out in the open!"

He didn't respond as Rei raced him across the vacant city towards the sniper hill that had been picked out.

Rei gritted her teeth as she urged her beast forward, _We have to make it, we have to make it…_

She blinked at her determination, _Why am I so concerned? I've felt urgency before, but not like this…and never this feeling of dread that if we fail, they will…not make it…_

_We'll make it_, she thought stubbornly, _Shinji will be fine…and Asuka too…_

_Why I am feeling this? Is this normal? Is it good…or bad?_

_It doesn't matter now! I have to concentrate on saving them!_

_Not the mission? Isn't it about the mission?_

_The mission to save them−_

"_Oh crap_! _Asuka_!" Misato screamed over the comms.

"What's going on!" Toji and Rei demanded in unison.

"Shinji, Rei and Toji are nearly in position; don't do anything stupid! _Shinji_!" Misato yelled.

"We have to make it!" Rei shouted suddenly, no longer containing her urgency.

They leaped up the last stretch and crested the hill to see something quite extraordinary.

"Holy crap…" was all Toji said.

Asuka knew the moment that she was being pulled into the air that she was dead.

A calm little voice whispered to her as time slowed, _It's impossible; no one can save you. Nothing is going to stop those floating polygons from completely eradicating you. It'll just be a few more moments, then you won't have worry about anything anymore…_

Asuka didn't even have time to scream out at the voice before everything changed. As suddenly as she was being lifted smoothly up into the air by the Beta, she was falling after a massive shock from somewhere…

Asuka stared out at what had obviously caused the Beta to jolt, "_Mist_!"

As she fell to earth, she stared at Eva-01 as it also landed; in its hand, it grasped a tornado.

"Asuka, move!" Shinji shouted, apparently ignorant that he was holding the most compact form of destruction in nature's armory. As if to capitalize his urgency, a massive streak of light burned through the air where she had been swinging just a second ago. Snapped back into normal time, Asuka quickly righted herself and hurried out of the fire zone while Shinji swung the twister again, severing the Beta.

Once they weren't in immediate danger, Asuka punched her comm, "Shinji, what the−"

"It's a Twister Flail," he answered sheepishly, "Module-3."

"Oh…" she stared as it dissipated.

"_Firing_!" Toji yelled suddenly as twin beams of energy rushed overhead. Shinji looked over at the four Gammas, hovering in formation next to…what was that? It looked like a big deflated balloon, except that it was also dissolving…

Shinji didn't know what to say or what to pay attention to as the positron beams hit two of the Gammas, each one drilling a through it's target. They hung there for a moment, as if unfazed by the attack, before they rolled back and collapsed on the ground.

Shinji turned towards the origin of the shots, grinning at their success when his face transformed in horror the hill erupted in fire from the remaining Gammas, "_Toji_! _Rei_!"

"It's okay," Toji's voice filtered through, "I built up a mound for us to shoot from and a hole to escape in with my Earth Cleaver."

"Oh…" Shinji sagged, feeling drained.

Toji grinned at him as he worked furiously to disengage the rifle's capacitor and attach the fresh one before the Demons figured out that they weren't dead.

"And now for the encore," Toji continued nonchalantly, "Rei?"

"On three," Rei spoke sharply, "One."

"Two."

"Three−" The two Evas rolled from out from behind the remains of the mound and fired again.

"Down they go!" Toji grinned triumphantly as the two remaining Gammas fell to the ground.

"Alright!" Asuka roared savagely, "So much for those bastards!"

"That's great guys," Kensuke told them, a slight tremor in his voice, "But there's a slight problem…"

"What now?" Asuka snorted.

"Umm…There's another Theta on the way…"

"Another blasted one!" Misato screamed as she torn down the hallway, "Another one I said! And those bastards won't listen to me!"

Misato had been staring intently at the battle, just as everyone else had, when, while Toji and Rei were taking their first shots, Kensuke noticed that there was another anomaly on the atmospheric sensors: Another Theta, most likely loaded with the same surprises as the first on, was on the way and would arrive in about fifteen minutes. Great.

The new Positron Rifles were a huge leap from the old one which had to be hooked up to the entire power grid of Japan to work. However, the new capacitors were only capable of one shot before having to be powered up again, which took about a week to do, safely. So, because the capacitors in the Positron Rifles were only capable of one shot, 00 and 03 had only been given a spare capacitor for their second shots. When the second Theta had been detected, she had immediately called down to the lab for four more capacitors. She knew that they had them. She knew that that was all they had. But she didn't know that they could refuse her authority on matters concern prototypes in the lab, 'We're sorry, Major. We can give the last two, but we can't let you have any of the prototypes. We need those intact and that means no battle usage.'

Misato's lips curled back angrily as she continued to run down the hallway, _And, of course, I can't contact the Secondary Command Center where the Commander and Sub-Commander are to tell them that we need them! Why did the comms have to go off-line now of all times!_

She was panting heavily by the time that she made it to the Secondary Command Center, and angrily ripped her keycard through. The door slid open to reveal a fairly astonished crew, a frowning Fuyutsuki, an unreadable Kaji and the ever implacable Commander Ikari.

"Major," he glanced over at her, "Why are you here?"

"The comms between us are dead for some reason," Misato bit out as politely as possible, "I need you to force the lab to release the prototypes of the capacitors for the Positron Rifles."

Fuyutsuki's frown deepened, "Why? The Gammas…"

"There's probably more in the Theta that's on the way," Misato said curtly.

Ryoji blinked, "Another one!"

"Lieutenant Yamato?" Ikari turned slowly.

"It−It's true!" the painfully green Operations Officer exclaimed in a panic.

"Mr. Aida saw it just a minute ago," Misato said in an attempt to save the poor kid.

"Hmmm," Ikari's eyes narrowed, "Very well. I will contact the lab."

"Thank you, Commander…" Misato nodded slowly, "However…any idea why the comm system is down?"

"No," he said bluntly.

"I wouldn't know," Kaji said airily, "And I've been here the whole time."

"Right…" she turned and left. It was only after the doors had closed behind her that she realized the significance of his words: '… I've been here the whole time…'

_He had been there the whole time? But why…Unless…_

She stared straight ahead, afraid to blink as it dawned on her, _He had been there…but someone, or someones, had not._

She growled darkly to herself, "Commander, what are you up to now?"

"_I don't believe it_!" Asuka snarled at Kensuke, "Another one! How are we supposed to stop this one when they're negating our A.T. Fields again!"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger!" he pleaded, "You got about fifteen minutes until it shows up. Major Katsuragi is working getting some more capacitors for the Positron Rifles, and Doctor Akagi is working on the A.T. Field problem; but you still have to finish off the rest of the Alphas and Betas so you can stop the Theta."

"This is crap," Asuka grumbled as she moved her Eva forward, "Another wave? The An−"

"Asuka, we don't have time to worry about that!" Shinji said quickly, "We have to find and kill all of them quickly!"

Asuka sighed, _He's right…_"Fine. Hey, Kensuke! Where the heck are they?"

"Umm…" he glanced away, "According to the sens…_Toji, Rei_: _Watch it_!"

Toji and Rei were still on the hill when Kensuke shouted at them.

"What…?" Toji started.

"Enemy units closing," Rei warned as she positioned herself.

"Great," Toji grunted as he set his Positron Rifle down and drew a Prog Blade, "They're probably out for revenge." As he spoke, he could see two Betas and four Alphas headed towards them.

"Here they com−"

Kensuke shouted at him again, "_No_! Behind you!"

"Wha−" Toji turned in horror.

Rei stared. Time slowed as she saw the Alpha lunging for 03, energy spear extended. Even as it inched forward towards Toji, Rei felt as if her feet were caught in concrete; unable to move or assist in any way.

_What is this feeling? Why can't I move? Even when Shinji was in danger, I was able to act._

_That was before. This is now. You are not who you were; no longer an immortal soul that can move from one body to another._

_But why? What is wrong?_

_You are petrified; shocked. You are incapable of moving._

_But…but I want to…_

_Why?_

_Because…because I want to save him…_

_Why? What is he to you?_

Rei blinked, surprised at the question. Of course, he was a fellow pilot and student…but…but that wasn't enough…

'Just remember that you do have friends,' Kensuke had told her, '…Toji's a good guy once you get to know him…'

_No, he's more than that,_ Rei told the voice angrily, _Toji is…he is Kensuke's friend; he is _my_ friend! And I will not stand by and let this happen…because…_

_Because I am _not_ that sort of person!_

Reiroared as a feeling of rage coursed through her; righteous fury at the Demons for attacking Earth, for trying to kill Toji, at the voice for mocking her, and at herself for hesitating. She had never felt this way before; never fully understood the feeling that drove others to howl and rage like animals.

Not until now.

Toji stared. He had known that the Alpha lunging at him was going to inflict serious damage to him, assuming that it didn't kill him outright.

But that was all based on the theory that it reached him.

"Holy crap," he breathed a sighed of relief as he looked at the Demon, trapped in midair by the ice that had erupted from the ground.

"Toji! Be careful!" Rei shouted as she turned her attention to the other Demons.

"Right," he nodded as he raised his hand and pummeled the Alpha with multiple Graviton Pulses, "What was that anyways?"

"My third EE," she said as she calmed herself and methodically shot the Demons with her Water Cannon and Ice Beam, icing over their heads and joints, "Glacial Spiral."

Toji grinned as he stuck the hill with his massive fist, causing a fissure to break open and snake down the hill, tripping up an Alpha, "Cool. Thanks for the save, by the way."

"N−Not a problem," she smiled shyly, "What are friends for?"

Toji blinked. _Friends? Me and her? Now that's trippy…_

He grinned again, "Yeah."

Shinji sighed, "Wow. That was close."

"Are you referring to Toji or yourself?" Asuka asked as she dropped the top half of the Alpha that had tried to ambush them a moment ago.

"Both," he said with a faint grin, "Thanks, by the way."

"You had better be thankful," she sniffed haughtily.

"Yeah…" he said as he toggled the comm, "Hey, what's the count?"

"About nine minutes and four Alphas and a Beta…make that three and one," Kensuke told him.

"Roger," Shinji acknowledged.

"It's not fair," Asuka said suddenly, "You and Rei have your Level 3's activated."

Shinji sighed, "Toji doesn't either."

"Yeah, but Toji hasn't saved any butt today," she countered, "I saved your bacon back there."

"Yeah, but you were so talented, you didn't need it," Shinji replied cheekily.

She narrowed her eyes, before relaxing, "True."

"Hey!" Misato suddenly snapped, "You're slacking! Back to work!"

All four Evas stood still, each about a kilometer away from another as the clock ticked down. There was currently five minutes until the second Theta was at impact range, but they wouldn't know the exactly location of the landing site for another few minutes.

"Geez, I'm bored," Asuka groaned.

"Oh come on!" Toji snorted, "We just had a fight for our lives, and are waiting for the next round of bad guys to show, and all you can say is that you're _bored_!"

"Well, I am!" she shot back.

"Guys…" Shinji moaned.

"So anyways," Dr. Akagi said on the comm with Rei, "From what I can tell, the Glacial Spire operates by moving water from both underground and from your tanks, channeling to a certain area, and freezes it at a specific rate in a specific area of the temporary reservoir, causing ice to explode. Also, it's carrying some freezing water with it, so it'll freeze on contact with nearly anything."

"That collaborates with everything that I observed," Rei replied.

"Gee that's nice," Asuka said pointedly, "But what about our A.T. Fields?"

The blond doctor sighed, "I've remodulated them. They won't be effective at stopping anything smaller than a centimeter, but I doubt you'll get a chance to stop anything that small. Hopefully the Demons don't have a blanket destabilizing abilities; or the ability to change it while it's still falling."

"That's reassuring," Asuka rolled her eyes, than switched comms and glanced at Shinji, "So what do you think my third one is?"

Shinji shrugged, "No idea."

She smirked, "Not even a guess?"

"If I was going to make guess," Shinji remarked, "I would have done them about my own."

Asuka blinked before shaking her head, _Gee, he's come a long way._

"Hey!" Misato spoke, "We got the coordinates! Move!"

Hikari sighed as she leaned back in her chair, having finished with her book and now having nothing to do. She glanced at her watch as a teacher walked by with bottles of water: It was nearly an hour since Toji and the other had ran out of the school to go and fight.

"Oh"! a surprised voice called, "Ms. Horaki!

Hikari sat up and looked around for the voice. When she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise, "Mr. Himura! What are you doing here?"

"Well…" the thirty-ish man with flame-red hair that was longer than most government officials would have approved of smiled awkwardly, "Actually, I was going coming to the school to see you…"

Hikari felt a flutter in her chest, _Oh no…I knew I'd have to talk to him about this…_

"…you see, I was going to call you to schedule an appointment…but when I called, I got the Kurosaki residence. Than I noticed that your address was different. Apparently you moved, but didn't update your phone number…"

"Oh…right…" she nodded slowly, "Yes, I did move…the rent in the buil…oh, and did you hear about what happened to Mr. Mitsuda?"

"Oh, yes…" he nodded, "I can see why you did move…"

"Right," she nodded quickly as she turned to retrieve a piece of paper, "So, I'll just give you the new number…"

"I have the number," he said quietly as he sat down.

"Oh…" she stopped, "I see…"

"You can imagine my surprise to see that you have the exact same address as Mr. Suzuhara."

"Umm…yes…" Hikari nodded slowly as she looked around, "I…I can explain…"

He smiled benevolently, "Yes, I'm sure you can. However, that won't be necessary; I am quite aware of the price and availability of housing in Tokyo Thr…I mean, Toride Tokyo, and what your set income is, and that you were refused permission to work."

Hikari stared at him before looking away, "Yeah…"

"I know that you really want to stay with your sisters, and I know that in your care they are doing very well," he said, almost beaming with pride, "And I know that Mr. Suzuhara, although a bit on the rough and tumble side, and fairly normal teenaged boy, would never think of imposing himself on you. And I trust that both of you will act in a mature concerning the situation."

Hikari stared at him, but didn't say anything as leaned back, "So, I don't see a problem. My overseers may, but they are far to busy to look in anything that isn't brought to their attention. I doubt that they would even recognize any name on their subordinate's watch list: Even someone as famous as Toji Suzuhara, the Fourth Child."

"Thank you, Mr. Himura," Hikari smiled.

"Not a problem," he glanced at her, "Now, let's hope and pray for his safety."

Toji grunted as the weight of the Theta crushed down on him, _And to think that after this, I get to fight another horde of Demons! Super!_

"It's lifting off!" Shinji exclaimed as the massive weight suddenly went feather light, gliding effortlessly.

"Well, at least Doc Akagi was right twice today," Asuka remarked.

"Come on, Rei!" Toji yelled as he turned and made his dark blue Eva sprint across the ruins of the outer city.

"Right!" Rei acknowledged as she followed him to the awaiting Rifles.

"Come on Shinji!" Asuka smiled savagely.

Shinji nodded, "Let's go."

The four Evas moved precisely, far more ready than in their encounter with the first Theta.

"What the situation?" Misato asked her subordinates.

"Everything's going according to the schedule," Hyuga told her, recently back from the lab.

"The Theta should be dropping any minute," Kensuke added.

Misato hit the comm, "Toji, Rei: You in position?"

"Standing by," Rei reported as she took aim.

"Ready to shoot," Toji smiled sharply.

"Me and Shinji are ready to handle any little Alphas," Asuka said with anticipation.

"Roger that," Misato said.

"Activity on the bottom of the Theta!" Rei reported, "Stand by!"

Toji's eyes narrowed as he gripped his rifle and watched. He could see the gap in the bottom of the behemoth, but so far he had no target.

Than they fell; as before, four polygonic Gammas dropped from floating Demon.

This time, however, they weren't alone

"What the…" Asuka stared, "What are _those_!"

Shinji stared at the strange leech-like creatures attached to the sides of the Gammas, "Well…what _aren't_ they?"

Kensuke blinked as he went through the database, "Well…from what I see…it hasn't been any…"

"_They're Ei… err…Zetas_!" Asuka exclaimed suddenly.

"Whatever they are," Toji said as he tracked their fall, "they're not welcome."

"Indeed," Rei agreed.

"Okay chums," Toji squeezed the trigger, "Time to die." Two beams of white light lanced out from the hill, striking the two lead Gammas, causing them to crash and fall. The leeches, presumably Zeta, leaped off of the dying Gammas and soared into the sky.

"Hey, what are Zetas, anyway?" Toji asked as he ducked down to avoid the counterattacks from the remaining Gammas and began to switch capacitors.

Asuka glared at him as she crouched behind a small hill, "That was the one that was in the volcano…"

"_Asuka, move_!" Shinji warned as one of the Zetas flew overhead. She looked up in time to get a good look at it, and to see what it did: It looked like a skate, or a ray, with claw-like appendages on the sides and a skeletal tail. And an oval, teeth filled mouth that spat fireballs.

"Yeeoww!" Asuka cried as she leaped away a split second before the ground in front of her exploded.

"You alright!" Shinji asked frantically as more of the Zetas filled the air.

"Alert! New type of enemy is emerging from the Theta!" Rei warned them.

Taking a chance, Shinji glanced over. All four of the Gammas were laying on the ground, a faint fire inside of them. However, that wasn't what drew his attention.

About twenty-five spider-like creatures scuttled along the ground on long, scimitar-like legs. And they were moving towards them, fast.

"Etas!" Shinji shouted as he dodged a fireball from the overhead Zeta.

"Aren't it great!" Asuka snapped sarcastically, "Five new Demons in one day!"

"Hang on!" Toji told them, "We're on our way!"

"Asuka, we need to move back!" Shinji urged, "We can hope to hope them off on our own!"

"Listen Shinji," she bit out, "I ain't running from a rabble of Demons who think that they can take me down with sheer numbers!"

Shinji started to panic at her reaction, but managed to calm himself. He was about to try to reason with her, when they were forced to dodge again as a formation of Zetas made a pass.

"Asuka, would you stop with the pride!" he snapped, "Look at the tactical situation; he need to pull back!"

Asuka was about to retort, but was cut short by the need to dodge once more.

_Grr…Why does Shinji want to run? I can take them…_

_But don't you want to retreat?_

_What are you talking about! I'm not weak! I have no reason to run!_

_Is that it? You want to prove to Shinji that you aren't weak?_

Asuka growled at herself,_ What makes you think I want to prove anything to him?_

_Fine. Than why won't you regroup with the others?_

Asuka mentally glared at her inner reflection, but didn't answer.

_Have you considered why Shinji wants you to retreat?_

_What does that matter!_

_It matters because it's affecting why you don't want to retreat._

Asuka thought for a moment as she watched the sky for more attacks, _Well…He doesn't think I'm weak…At least I don't think he does…And it's not like there's any glory in it for him; not that he'd be after that sort of thing…_

_So…just what is left?_

Asuka felt a sudden flood of shame, _It's because he cares about me._

_Is that a great surprise to you? _

_Arrrggg! Is my stupid pride always going to be getting in the way like this?_

_Maybe. Or maybe you'll be able to change yourself. But if you are, you should start soon…_

"Asuka?" Shinji's voice filtered through, "Asuka we need to pull back!"

Asuka's head snapped up to see that the Etas were nearly upon them. She swallowed hard, literally and figuratively, and activated her comm, "A-Alright…Let's get back to the others…"

Misato stared at the comm system and wondered out loud if it was malfunctioning.

"Why do you think that, Major?" Hyuga asked.

"Huh? Oh…" she glanced at him, "I swore I heard Asuka relent."

"It wasn't a comm glitch," Maya Ibuki pointed, "Eva-01 and 02 are moving away from the Demons towards 00 and 03."

"Geez," Kensuke shook his head, "The Demon gave in? This is getting really weird…"

He looked over at Misato, "They didn't secretly get married or something, did they?"

Misato was about to say that that was completely ridiculous, but stopped as she considered it, "I don't think so…"

"What should we do?" Rei asked, "Neither of our elemental weapons are well suited to dealing with the Zetas."

"I dunno…" Toji sighed as they pressed forward, heading towards a horde of flying fire-spitters, and arachnoids that, according to the reports, spewed acid.

_Come on! You have to come up with something!_

_What?_ Toji recoiled at this sudden thought.

_You've still got your third EE; it might be able to take out those Zetas with it!_

_But…Why me? I mean, Shinji has his third EE…he can take care of them._

_Yeah? So? You owe Rei. She saved your hide back there and you should at least repay the favor. Her EEs won't be effective against those fireflies, so she'll need to be protected! Stop trying to pass off the responsibility and do it! After all, she's your friend!_

Toji glanced at over at 00, _Yeah...I guess I should..._

He smiled at Rei, "Don't worry about them; I take care of it."

Rei looked at him doubtfully, "How?"

"Don't worry about it," he assured her as they grew close to Shinji and Asuka, and their pursuers, "I'll take care of it."

_Okay number 3...let's see what you can do..._

_"_Geez I hope this works...

Asuka grinned in anticipation as she and Shinji neared Rei and Toji, _Alright! Time to turn around and kick some..._"What the _crap_!"

The ground where she had planned on being in a few seconds suddenly tore itself from the ground and launched into the air, and striking the lead Zeta out of the sky.

"What is that!" Shinji asked in astonishment as Toji seemed to whip the massive hunk of earth through the air like a chain and mace, except it lacked any sort of chain.

"Earth Hammer," Toji grinned broadly, "Now...you guys take out those Etas and leave the firebugs up to me."

"I don't think so," Shinji smiled faintly as he activated his Twister Flail.

"Boys," Asuka sighed in exasperation, but internally grumbled, _Why am I the only one that doesn't have their third EE yet?_

"Asuka," Shinji glanced at her, "You and Rei take care of the Etas and me and Toji'll take down the Zetas."

_So now he's bossing me around, too? Just because _I_ don't have my third EE?_

_Arrrggg! Why am I thinking like this! Shinji isn't like that; I know that! Why am I even thinking like that!_

_Why am I feeling resentful?_

_Fine than…why did he tell you to go and do that?_

Asuka thought carefully, _What was Shinji thinking when he told me that? I know he wasn't telling me to just to boss me around…than…than it's because…_

_Because he trusts me to do it,_ Asuka smiled, "Right Shinji…Winner just a free lunch!"

Shinji blinked at that, than smiled, "Does everything have to be a competition with you?"

"No; but this makes it more interesting," she said cheerfully, "Come on, Wondergirl! Let's kick some butt!"

Rei blinked. Asuka had often used that term. However, normally it was used in a condescending manner; this time it seemed …friendly…

Asuka turned her attention on the Spider-like Etas as they closed in, "Come on you bastards! I'm going to send you all back to where you came from!"

"Geez," Toji shook his head, "The Demon's gone off her rocker again."

"Asuka is not a demon," Shinji groaned as a Zeta tried to whiz by the cyclone, "She's just a little…on the touchy side…"

"Sure…" Toji said as he whipped his Earth Hammer into another Zeta, "But than again, you know her a lot better than I do…after all, you live with her!"

Toji punched his comm, "Hey Asuka! Nine Zetas left! I'm gonna get that free lunch!"

"Dream on!" Asuka grinned savagely. So far, she and Rei had taken out a total of five: Three from long range by Rei's Glacial Spiral, one from long range by her Plasma Bomb, plus one courageous one have run ahead and gotten melee'd by her Flare Blade.

"The probability of us…winning…" Rei said in her normal tone, "is low at best: We have more units to kill and we don't have weapon of large area effect…"

"Don't sweat it," Asuka assured her, "You have to be confident if you want good things to happen!"

"How is being confident going to assist in destroying the Etas?" Rei asked as she dodged a semi-transparent mass of acid and countered with her Water Cannon/Ice Beam combo.

"Simple," Asuka said leaped forward over the scrap of a fallen Eta, "Watch!" _I sure hope this works…_

Asuka wasn't sure exactly how the others had activated their level three EEs, but she thought it had to do with both battle stress, and some sort of psychological thing that spiked their sync. What it was exactly or why it was, she didn't know. But…she had an idea of how to spike herself.

She took at deep breath, momentarily unsure if she really wanted to this, but immediately banished those thoughts, _Stupid pride…I can do this…besides, it's not like that they're unpleasant things…_

And she recalled. She recalled when Shinji had come into her room and dragged her out of her cesspool of self-pity and misery; when he had told her that he would stay with her. She recalled how he had managed to completely turn her around and save her from a nightmare-filled future full of regrets.

And than she moved, arcing her arm gracefully through the air.

Asuka smiled toothily, "So…what do you think of that?"

Rei blinked at the scene: Five Etas were pieces; sliced cleanly by the glowing red whip that was currently extended out of 02's hand, and was now being skillfully manipulated through the air.

"Impressive," Rei managed.

"Heh," Asuka grinned, "Watch this; my Burning Lash!" Asuka whirled the golden red whip forward, striking the eleventh Eta and than snapped it out to pierce the twelfth.

The Etas quickly became aware of this new threat and tried to scurry back and out of range. However, Asuka and Rei weren't about to let that happen. Without any communication, Rei summoned a wall of ice with her Glacial Spire to block their way as Asuka rampaged through several more.

Misato stared at the screen, "Geez."

"Great," Akagi moaned, "Now I know I'm stuck here till tomorrow night."

"Oh come on Ritsuko!" Misato smiled at her, "Be happy! All four of them activated their level threes!"

"So?" she grunted, "Just means more work for me!"

"Geez," she snorted as she turned back to the monitor, "What a party pooper."

The battle had shifted dramatically in the pilots' favor. However, the Demons weren't about to let themselves get routed. The four remaining Zetas bolted from their battle with 01 and 03 and flew to the aid of the remaining Etas.

"Asuka, Rei!" Shinji shouted, "The Zetas are headed for you!"

"Got it!" Asuka quickly glanced up as she dodged a stream of acid shooting from the underside of an Eta.

Rei dual fired her Water Cannon and Ice Beam at the Zetas, but they flash-evaporated the water with a barrage of fireballs.

"Rei, keep those Etas off of me while I handle the Zetas!"

"I don't think so, red!" Toji snapped, "We'll take care of them! Shinji!"

"What?" Shinji looked at him carefully, concerned about his tone.

"Don't move!"

Shinji stared at him, "Toji, what are you…AAAHHHH!"

Shinji screamed in surprise and horror as he, his Eva, and the ground that he was standing on shot into the air in pursuit of the Zetas.

"Toji, are you nuts!" Asuka and Misato yelled in unison.

"What?" he grinned.

Shinji managed to stop screaming halfway as his "ride" reached its apex. Gritting his teeth, he locked onto the Zetas and fired his Chained Lightening. He managed to frag the closest one, but the remaining three were only damaged. Then, wincing at what to expect, he kicked the chuck of ground and propelled it forward, towards the Zetas, with his Twister Flail, towards the Zetas. Then he fell.

Shinji hit the ground hard, cratering the earth like a meteorite. Right behind the Etas.

"Oh crap…" he stared at the Demons as they whipped around to face him, dripping acid from their undersides, "…Help…"

"Geez," Asuka snorted as she whipped her lash through the Etas, "Do I always have to save your butt?"

"You save me," Shinji leaped up and smashed a remaining Zeta, "and I'll save you."

Asuka was about to protest that her endangerment was due to her saving him, but merely sighed, "Whatever. Let's finished this."

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (09:45)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Asuka ran her hand through her freshly-washed hair as she sprawled out in her chair at the table, "So what? Are we going back to school or not?"

Misato sighed, "Don't know yet. The mayor and the city council are waiting for the damage report, which can't be written up until after all of the wreckage is quarantined…"

"Hey, is it our fault that they sent…what was it…More than sixty Demons at us!" Asuka snapped, "Everyone should just be happy that our A.T. Fields worked long enough to stop the descent of Thetas!"

"I'm not saying that," Misato shook her head, "It's just the way things are."

"Oh well," Shinji shrugged, "Can't be helped."

"Geez, you give up way too easy!" Asuka complained.

"Huh?" Toji asked as he entered the room.

"We're stuck here until who-knows-when!" Asuka grunted.

"What! Why?" he demanded.

"Because you guys made a very big mess," Misato told him.

"Hey, is it…"

"Oh, just shut up."

Rei glanced at the can of juice in Kensuke's hands for a moment before taking it, "Thank you."

"No problem," he smiled sheepishly, "I'm just glad you all are alright."

"Mm," Rei nodded as she sipped from the can.

"So what now?" Kensuke asked as he and Rei started walking.

"Since it appears that we must wait until the City Council and the Magi have determined that it is safe to rescind the emergency status," Rei answered, "We will wait until than and act accordingly."

Kensuke smiled at her, "It was meant as a rhetorical question, but yeah."

Rei flustered slightly, "Oh…"

"Hey, it's no big deal," Kensuke assured her, "It's just…a form of humor that you have to get use to before you catch it."

"Oh," she blinked, "Okay."

Thursday, February 5, 2016 (03:02 - GMT)

Near Earth

/The attack was a failure/ the Overseer stated simply.

/Overseer, the abilities that the Human's Evas displayed are…/ Wei'kii started.

/Your excuses are pathetic/ Ter'la'dim snarled/You should not have had your troops hold back in an attempt to capture them! You should have _at least_ killed one so you would know what it takes/

/I agree with Ter'la'dim/ the Overseer stated coldly/You have failed. Failure will not be tolerated again./

/We understand/ Wei'kii, Fern'drik and Pir'u, the Tur'rai general, spoke in unison.

/What are we to do now, Overseer/ Iycho asked slyly as he eyed his fellow generals.

/What we need to do is a devastating attack on their city/ Ter'la'dim urged/There are only four of them; I am sure of that/

/Perhaps/ the Overseer spoke softly/But I do not think an attack on the city would be prudent./

Ter'la'dim spoke uncertainly at this/Why do you say that/

/It is apparent that the Evas are being supplied by their underground fortress/ the Overseer told them/Hence, it would be wise to attack away from that place./

/You're strategic logic is sound, Overseer/ Ter'la'dim asserted/When do my men and I leave/

/No/ the Overseer told him/Not you or yours./

/_What_! Why, Overseer/

/It is more imperative that we gather more information on the humans/ the Overseer them him/Hence…Curron will lead the next attack./

/I protest/ Ter'la'dim snapped.

/Please/ Curron said, contempt dripping from his voice/Not everything can be solved with simple, uncontrolled violence. A better understanding of the human psyche will enable us to more quickly take his world./

/I have decided/ the Overseer spoke with finality/You shall not dispute this./

Ter'la'dim glowered, but said nothing.

/But Curron/ the Overseer spoke coolly/Be warned. If you fail…do not return. You will find the humans far more merciful than Ter'la'dim./

/I understand Overseer./


	16. Chapter 16: Respite

Chapter 16: Respite

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (13:30)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Shinji Ikari glanced around as he sat down at the conference table. Everyone on the Command Staff, excepting Dr. Akagi, Lieutenant Ibuki and Kensuke, were present, as well as he and the other three Eva pilots.

His father, Commander Gendo Ikari, rapped his knuckles on the table before he spoke, "The wreckage from the battle has been quarantined and a report is currently being written up. In the mean time, the government is preparing to rescind the emergency status."

"Finally," Toji muttered. Misato glared at him darkly and Fuyutsuki also glanced in his direction, but the Commander either didn't noticed or didn't care.

"Due to the time, all non-emergency government offices are being closed for the day," Ikari noted, "So you won't have to return to school."

As he was speaking Ritsuko Akagi and her assistants entered. Ikari turned to them, "Dr Akagi, report."

She sighed heavily as she sat down, "Initial reports on the remains of the Tenth analogs indicate that it's a one-time use only biomechanical carrier. It contained no harmful materials, and basically is reducing itself, if it is a self, to its base elements through a process that I can only begin to theorize about."

"But it is inert," Fuyutsuki said cautiously.

"Yes, Commander," she nodded, "Unless there are some secondary commands embedded somewhere, it'll be a pill of carbon and other assorted atoms and molecules by the end of tomorrow."

"Anything else?" Ikari asked flatly.

"Nothing yet," she responded with a hint of spite, "The time I need to fully process everything from today is currently incalculable."

"Very well," Ikari nodded, "You all are dismissed. Your reports on the battle will be due by the end of the day."

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (13:35)

Emergency Shelter 323, Toride Tokyo

"Well, I guess it's all over," Mr. Himura commented as he stood.

Hikari nodded, "It looks that way…I just hope everyone's alright, though. I think that was the longest battle that they've ever had."

Mr. Himura shrugged, "I don't know…but I'm sure that they are all fine."

Hikari swallowed as she tried to match his assuring look, "Right…"

She glanced at her watch as they stood in line to file out of shelter, "I really should go and find Midori Ayumi, and Sakura and head back to the apartment…I'd try and call them, but the lines will be completely jammed."

"Most likely," he nodded, "I'd like to call and check on Kaoru and Kenji as well."

"Yeah," Hikari whispered, "But they weren't close to the danger zone."

"I concede the point," he said softly as he looked as her kindly, "But I'm sure that they're fine."

Hikari forced a smile, "Me too."

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (13:30)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, former professor and mentor to both Yui and Gendo Ikari, glanced at his former pupil, "What are you up to now, Ikari?"

Commander Ikari glanced up from chair in the now-empty conference room, "What do you mean?"

Fuyutsuki growled, "You know very well what I mean, damn it! You left your post in the Secondary Commander Center during the battle to make some phone calls! I know, Ikari! I know who you called and I guess as to why you called them!"

"If you know that, why do you need me to tell you?" he asked pointed as he closed a folder on the table.

"I know what you call them about," he nearly bit out, but managed to hold his composer, "What I want know is _why_ you called them to discuss it."

Ikari folded his hands as he regarded him. After a moment, he leaned back, "Fuyutsuki…do you understand why, exactly, I acted as I did during the Instrumentality Project?"

"If you are referring to when we were under attack by the Angels, SEELE was plotting to use the Angels to achieve some sort of higher state of being, people were being assassinated left and right, and you were betraying and being betrayed by everyone around you…I think so."

"You are over-simplifying it," Ikari stated coldly.

"No, you are," Fuyutsuki snapped, "'During the Instrumentality Project'! When did it start? When Yui was absorbed into 01? When you abandoned your son in favor of a girl that so resembled Yui?"

Ikari rose from his chair, "That is…"

"That's the truth, Ikari!" Fuyutsuki barked harshly, "It about time that you accepted it! The truth is that you forsook your son in favor of a mad scheme to recover you wife using a method involving someone that is very nearly your daughter!"

Ikari glared at him coldly, "Fuyutsuki."

The older man sighed, as if winded from his tirade, "I know that you were not responsible for what happened to Yui…That was the doing of SEELE…but that does not excuse you for they way you acted afterward!"

"I had to," Ikari said softly, "I had to in order to shape the world in the way I saw fit and to oppose SEELE for what they did and what they were trying to do."

"No Ikari, you didn't have to do things that way." Fuyutsuki sighed, "In any case, it's too late to change the past. However, it is not too late to save the future."

"Exactly," Ikari nodded as he walked to the door.

"Ikari!" Fuyutsuki, "Why! Tell me why, damn it!"

Ikari turned to regard him, "Because I have nothing left but the future to preserve. I did what I did in order to ensure the NERV will be able to carry on its mission, with or without the assistance of the U.N. or the nations themselves. One or the other will be on our side, and together we will be victorious."

"Why does it have to come to that?" Fuyutsuki demanded, "Why do you insist that it will come down to that!"

"Why were we betrayed on the day of the Third Impact?" Ikari asked calmly, "Why did the government side with SEELE?"

"SEELE is gone."

"True. But one day, the U.N. will be gone as well. And what of our agreement with them? Or, perhaps, one day the U.N. will attempt to unite the world. What then?"

Fuyutsuki stared at him, unsure as to how he should respond.

Ikari snorted and turn to the door when Fuyutsuki spoke again, "You still have your son. What about him?"

Ikari paused, but did not turn to Fuyutsuki, "…I gave him up a long time ago."

"And Rei?"

Another pause, "…I am unsure if she wants me in her life anymore."

Ikari left the room. Sighing, Fuyutsuki rested against the side of the table, wondering how his pupil's widower had become such a lonely man and if he would ever be able to find a way out of his personal darkness.

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (13:51)

First Municipal Junior High, Toride Tokyo

"You guys are alright!" Hikari exclaimed as the Children entered the school ground.

"Of course!" Toji grinned broadly.

Asuka rolled her eyes, "Yeah, barely. Rei had to save your butt back there."

"So what? I did the same for her," Toji snorted, "And Shinji saved _your_ butt more than once if I recall correctly, which I do."

Asuka crossed her arms with a hmph, but didn't say anything.

Hikari suppressed a chuckle, "I'm just glad you're all okay."

"Right," Shinji nodded, glancing at Asuka.

"Anyways," Toji folded his arms behind his head, "let's get moving and grab the girls from their school and get some food."

"In a minute," Hikari said as she turned to head back into the building, "I need to check on some things with the principal before I leave."

"Okay," he nodded.

Asuka smiled slowly, "Speaking of food…"

Shinji sighed, "Can we drop that? It wasn't really clear who won because of the mess in that last thrust of theirs; what with me killing one of the Etas and you and Toji both hitting a Zeta at the same time…"

"You're just trying to get out of it!" Asuka accused.

"Well, I agree with him!" Toji said firmly.

Asuka pursed her lips, "Rei, what do you think?"

Rei blinked at her, surprised that she was being address, "I…Hmm…"

Shinji and Toji looked at each other at blinked: Was Rei really taking this seriously?

"If I recall correctly, the agreement was that the winner would be the group that completed the destruction of their assigned Demons," Rei stated matter-of-factly, "And since Asuka killed the last Eta before Toji killed the last Zetas, we are the victors of the contest and entitled to the prize specified in the agreement."

"Uhhhh…" Toji and Shinji blinked.

"What?" Hikari asked, looking rather bewildered.

"Oh come on!" Asuka rolled her eyes, "Let's go and try to find a place that's open."

"I am _not _paying for you, though!" Toji shouted.

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (14:12)

Toride Tokyo

Asuka smiled triumphantly as they entered a small restaurant, "Ha! I _knew _some stubborn Mom-and-Pop restaurant would still be open!"

Shinji rolled his eyes, "Right, Asuka."

Asuka glared at him, but said nothing as they took their seats.

In the back, a woman nudged her husband, "See? I _told_ you that some young people would be hungry after being let out of the shelters."

He nodded slowly, having long learned to not roll his eyes, "Yes, dear."

Asuka, Shinji, Toji, Rei, Kensuke, Hikari and the three younger siblings crowded around three tables as a boy around 13 took their orders and distributed glasses of water.

After everyone had ordered, Hikari glanced over at the pilots, "So…umm…"

"There were just a lot of them, really!" Toji assured her, "It takes a long time to wade through…err…Kensuke, how many were there?"

"Counting the two big ones? …Er…"

"There were 67," Rei informed them as she sipped from her glass of water.

Kensuke blinked, than shrugged, "Sounds right to me."

"Wow," Ayumi blinked, "That's a lot of Demons."

"Shhssh!" Hikari pressed a finger to her mouth, "Not so loud!"

"Sorry…"

"Anyways," Toji leaned back, "After that, what do they have left to throw at us?"

Shinji glanced at Asuka, then at Toji before bowing his head and sighing, "Quite a lot."

Toji blinked, "Oh. Right…I…I guess I forgot."

Asuka tightened her fist, but said nothing.

"Umm…" Kensuke glanced around at the pilots, who were all suddenly very gloomy, "Ahh…"

"Well, you guys are a lot stronger now!" Hikari said emphatically, trying to cheer them up, "You'll be able to handle them!"

Shinji forced a smile, "Right…"

The pilots ate their meal quietly, as they all reflected on the past events.

_It's not going to be as easy anymore,_ Shinji thought to himself, _All of the 'easy' ones are out of the way…The stronger ones are the only analogs left…Even the ones that we have the least to worry about are the Twins… and the Fourteenth…All of the others are…Harder to fight…Especially_, he glanced over at Asuka, _the Fifteenth._

Toji groaned slightly as he picked at the remains of his meal as he wondered what would happen when the Demons sent their version of the Thirteenth Angel, _How are we even suppose to fight that thing? They never figured out how it infected the old 03 or how to extract it without ripping the Eva apart! And that is not going to be an option!_ he swore to himself, _I am _not_ going to risk injuring anyone by ripping out someone's core!_

_But what if the one that is infected is you?_

Toji suppressed a shudder, _I don't think that anyone would do that to me…Not even the Demon Herself…And Rei's not that sort of person anymore…I think…_

Asuka stared into at her glass of water as she ran a finger along its rim, _Why? Why do I have to face that thing again? I don't want it to happen again…I don't want to have those things uncovered again…I…I don't want to see _that_ again…_

Asuka looked up and caught Shinji glancing at her before he quickly turned away. She scowled as she turned away from him, _Why is he looking at me?_

_He probably knows what you were thinking, and he's concerned_, one voice offered.

_Feh! Yeah right!_ another voice snapped, _That jerk's probably just worried about what will happen to him when it gets a hold of him._

Asuka blinked at the venom-filled voice, _But…But he…_

Asuka sighed and wanted nothing more than to thump her forehead against the table, _Geez, what is wrong with me? It feels like my mind has shattered into a million little mes and they all want to have their say._

At the thought of little Asuka, Asuka mind spontaneously produced an image of an older, more mature version of herself holding a small, squirming version of herself. As she mentally stared at the image, a hauntingly familiar man appeared, holding hands with a near adolescent version of herself as well as a baby version of himself. She blinked, _Who…Oh…OH!_

Asuka stiffened and flushed crimson, _What the _HELL _Shinji! What is _wrong_ with me!_

"Asuka?" a voice penetrated her fogged skull. Forcing herself to look up, she slowly turned to see the rest of the table's occupants staring at her.

"Asuka, are you okay?" Shinji asked for everyone.

"Ah…yeah…" she replied ponderously, "I was just…err…lost in a thought that went off on a really…odd…tangent. Yeah, that's it…"

Hikari frowned, but didn't say anything; Toji, Kensuke and Ayumi shrugged and went back to eating; Midori looked puzzled, but put it aside in favor of the food; Rei looked at her in a curious manner, but also resumed consuming her meal.

Shinji looked at her carefully before half-smiling and mouthed, 'It'll be okay,' to her.

Asuka looked down and picked at her rice with her chopsticks, _Great… now Shinji is telling me that it will be alright…What, when I'm in trouble, is he going to come to my rescue in his Eva on a giant white horse?_

Suddenly, the image of that popped into her head. She mentally gapped at the image before shaking it off, _Ahh crap…I don't need this…Quick: Need mental diversion._

Asuka looked up and asked a reflexive question to the first person that she saw that wasn't Shinji, "Hey Wondergirl, what do you think?"

Rei froze, rice-laden chopsticks halfway to her mouth, _She did it again. Twice today she has used that…nickname in a manner that is not meant to be offense…Not only that, but for some reason she asking my opinion on something…_

Rei set the chopsticks down and cleared her throat, "Please clarify what you are talking about."

"What should we do about…the others," Asuka said as she resumed eating.

"Oh…" Rei blinked as she stared off into space.

The others at the table all stared at the interaction between the two female pilots: Since when were they on friendly terms?

Toji leaned over to Kensuke and whispered, "I know Asuka was being nice to her earlier during the fight, but…"

"Yeah, I know…" Kensuke nodded, "Weird…"

Shinji just blinked and half-smiled, _I guess Asuka has come farther than I thought…_

Rei appeared to be in deep thought as she stared blankly at the wall for several seconds before turning back to Asuka, "I would recommend that we ask Dr. Akagi if she has any ideas on how to prevent the effects of some of the remaining Angels, such as the Thirteenth…"

Everyone stared at her, not speaking for a long time. After a moment of the silence, Rei glanced down, as a sense of embarrassment started to descend when Asuka spoke: "That's a great idea!"

Rei looked up warily, "It is?"

"Yeah," Asuka nodded, "Dr. Akagi's been spending all her time lately studying the Evas, when she should be studying the De…the enemy."

"Yeah, it is a good idea Rei," Shinji said as the rest of the table replied similarly, even the three smaller girls and Hikari, who didn't really know anything about the situation.

"Umm…Thank you…" Rei smiled, blushing slightly.

"Well…" Asuka said as she stood, "Let's head out."

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (15:04)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Saying goodbye, everyone dispersed and headed home. When Asuka and Shinji made it back to their apartment, Asuka turned to Shinji, "So Rei's going to call her?"

"Yeah, though I told her to wait till later," Shinji said, "She seemed kinda grumpy…"

"Meh," Asuka shrugged, "Oh well. Hopefully we won't have any action for a while.

Shinji shrugged, "We can only hope."

Asuka headed for her room, "I'm taking a shower."

"Okay," Shinji said as he collapsed on the couch and turned on the news briefly before Pen-Pen appeared and warked, indicating the remote with a flipper.

"Geez," Shinji rolled his eyes, "I safeguard the planet, and I don't even get respected by a penguin."

Asuka reappeared with some clothes in hand. She glanced over at Shinji, her lips twisted as she debated internally before walking over to him.

"Shinji," she said as she planted a hand on her hip, "Peek and you're dead."

Shinji glanced at her, _Changes aside, tradition will be followed_, "I know. I promise, under anything except extreme circumstance, to not peek."

She glared at him, "Extreme circumstance?"

"Apartment on fire while I suddenly become mute and a Demon shows up," Shinji clarified, though Asuka knew what he meant.

"Fine," Asuka smiled sweetly as she turned and headed into the bathroom.

"Geez," Shinji mumbled, _It used to be her just taunting me, but ever since she's…changed…_he shook his head, unnerved by where that line of thought was leading.

"Wark?" Pen-Pen glanced up at him, still pointing at the remote.

Shinji stared at him and sighed.

_Now why did I go and do that?_ Asuka thought to herself glumly as she closed the shower door.

_It seemed so…natural…_

_But that didn't make it right. _

_It'll be okay…he doesn't take offense…_

_But that didn't make it right._

_So?_

_So…I'm different now. I shouldn't act that way…_

_You're not that different…_

_But I should be nicer to him! And I still have to…to…_

_Geez, are you still hung up on that?_

_I want to!_

_Do you really? I mean, if you really did, you would have by now._

_I…I just haven't found the right time…_

_Geez, it's never the right time! You never seem to want to think about it, and you certainly don't want to talk about it._

_Hey–_

_Oh give it a rest already. If you really wanted to, you would have by now. Face facts girl; you don't really want to say it._

Asuka's fist tightened up and she looked up suddenly and glared at her reflection in the mirror, as if that her in the mirror was the voice in her head, _I want to! I really do..._

_Sure. Prove it. Go, I dare you. Go and say it._

Asuka glanced at the door before turning back to the mirror

_That's what I thought._

_I will! _Asuka insisted to herself, _It's just not the right time..._

_Sure...you let me know when it is._

Wednesday, February 5, 2016 (18:44)

Ayanami Apartment, Toride Tokyo

Rei glanced at the phone on the wall. She was sitting at her desk, trying to properly order the proposal that they had come up with at lunch earlier, but kept finding herself staring at the phone, wondering why she was doing this.

Rei, unlike the other pilots, knew why the Evas were being examined so carefully. She also had an idea as to why Commander Ikari was so insistent that they develop more Evas. And she also knew that Ikari wouldn't like any effort being diverted to anything else.

_But you still made the suggestion._

Rei frowned. She knew at the time that Commander Ikari wouldn't like it, but she had told her idea to the other pilots anyways. She knew it now, and she was about to call Dr. Akagi and suggest it.

_Maybe…Commander Ikari isn't as important to me anymore?_

Rei felt frustrated as her loyalties dueled with each other: Commander Ikari, or her…friends?

Kensuke's face appeared in her mind, _I'm helping my friends, Rei; it's worth the risk…._

Rei blinked, than nodded to no on in particular. And than she picked up of the phone.


	17. Chapter 17: Pain

Author's Note: "He's not dead anymore, Jim!" Okay. I know, I know...but here I is. I revised all the chappies with a little more content to make things make more sense. Plus I forgot about Hikari's older sister...

Anyways, by the time you finish this chapter, you may want to kill me...but I promise to get the next one soon...really...I do...

-Tarrick Twilight

Chapter 17: Pain

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (15:04)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, looked up at Dr. Akagi, mentally evaluating all possible factors before he replied, "Why?"

Dr. Akagi rolled her eyes, "In case you missed what happened during last year, I'll fill you in: The Angels made a leap in terms of the strength and type of attack, going from a basic attack that could be handled with standard methods to attacks of either extreme strength or extremely bizarre. And the Children remember that. You think that those four have forgotten about the last unit 03? Or that Shinji doesn't remember what happened to him after fighting with the Fourteenth? Or his entrapment within the Sea of Dirac…"

"You've made your point Doctor," he said coolly, "So what does this have to do with your request?"

"It has to do with me _not_ going over every bit of data on the Evas and to start coming up with methods to fight these other Demons," she growled, knowing full well that he knew that, "Like, trying to stop the infection of a Thirteenth Analog. Or the mind-invasion of the Fifteenth…"

Ikari stared at her for a moment before answering, "The study of the Evas is very important, Doctor. We need to be able to reproduce these new models as soon as possible."

Akagi's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

"You do not need to know that…"

"No…" she snorted and shook her head, "Why do you think that you still control this situation?"

He stared at her, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Gendo," she smiled thinly, "is that neither you, nor anyone on the Command Staff, is really in control anymore. You need to stop with these power games and start worrying about the fate of humanity."

"I am concerned for it…"

"No," Akagi snapped, "No, you just want to think you are. No, you are worried about the fate of _nations_, and the fate of _NERV_, not humanity."

"Without NERV, humanity wouldn't be here…"

"Again, you lie," Akagi snorted, "With NERV in control, humanity would be gone. It was because of Shinji Ikari, and the other pilots, that we are still here. And it hinges on them, and solely on them, if humanity will make it out of these situation alive.

She leaned forward, "The Angels called them the Guardians, remember? Not NERV, not you, _them_. They are here to save us from the Demons and anyone else."

He glared at her, "Without NERV, they wouldn't be able to fight."

"No," Akagi shook her head, "They wouldn't be able to fight as effectively, yes…but they could still fight. The reverse isn't true: Without them for us to support, we would be as ineffective as anyone else. They are our strength, are ability to fight. Keep that in mind when giving out your 'orders'."

"I am still in command," he growled.

"And what would it take to change that?" Akagi challenged, "They have the Evas, and we, you, have absolutely no control over them. The only way to stop them would be to shoot them before they got aboard."

"They can be restrained."

"Nope," Akagi smiled darkly, "Remember, they can remote access them, remember? And if you drug them, and then a Demon attack force shows up…then what?"

Gendo Ikari glowered furiously, "You assume they none of them are loyal."

"Indeed? And who would be?" Akagi laughed, "Asuka? Shinji? _Toji_?"

"There is Rei," he said quietly.

"Indeed?" she cocked her head, "In that case, I guess I should mention that the request that I study the enemy's tactics came from her."

He stared in shock at her as she turned and headed for the door, "She isn't the good little doll she used to be, Ikari. She grew up."

"I raised her," he said in a strangled voice.

"Yes. Yes you did," Akagi said as she opened the door, "You raised her when you should have been raising Shinji."

He looked up sharply and was about to bark a retort when she disappeared through the door.

A half hour later, Ritsuko Akagi received a noticed from Commander Ikari approving her study, provided that she continued to produce some data on the Evas.

Akagi leaned back in her chair and handed the notice to Maya Ibuki, "Well, we can start."

"Yeah, but where do we start?" Maya asked her.

Akagi grinned, "No idea. Maybe by figuring out how to reverse a Sea of Dirac? Or by figuring out how to kill a being of energy?"

Maya sighed, "Good grief."

Akagi chuckled as she turned to her terminal, _Yeah, it's going to be tough cracking those eggs…but it's something that we have to do._

Akagi's thoughts started to wander as she went back to her 'conversation' with Gendo Ikari, _Why did I say all that? I've wanted to, but I've never risked it. Not until now, after Rei called me last night and made that request. _

She smiled to herself, _It was then that I realized that the situation had changed this much. The pilots are really in control, because they are the only ones that are fighting. Except, unlike last time, they have the Evas, not Gendo._

"Your reign of terror is over, Ikari," she whispered to herself.

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (17:16)

Suzuhara/Horaki Apartment, Toride Tokyo

"Ahhhh…" Toji moaned as he stretched on the couch, "Sure is nice."

"What?" Hikari asked from the chair across the room, "Slacking?"

"Sure," he grinned.

Hikari sighed as she went back to her book, "Honestly, I don't know how you manage to avoid flunking. We have homework due tomorrow."

"I know, I know," Toji sat up, "I'll work on it after dinner."

Hikari sighed and shook her head, "If you say so."

"What?"

She stared at him, "What? You're putting it off until the last minute, that's what!"

"So? I'm more motivated then."

Hikari sighed again, "Fine."

Toji grunted as he shifted on the couch. After another minute, he got up with a groan, "Fine, fine…"

Hikari blinked at him oddly, "What?"

"I'm going to start on my homework…"

Hikari stiffened, "Hey, I'm not forcing you…I was just recommending…"

"I know, I know," he nodded as he shifted uncomfortably as stood in front of her, "It's just…well…I…I respect you…your opinion…umm…"

"Umm…" Hikari blushed as she looked down at her hands.

Toji's tongue had gone numb as he wondered how he had gotten himself in this situation when he felt an ominous presence watch him. Turning he saw three heads peeking out of the kitchen doorway, giggling.

"Sakura! Aren't you suppose to be making dinner!" he growled.

"Midori! Ayumi!" Hikari did her best to growl, "…You too!"

The three girls giggled as they retreated into the kitchen, leaving their two older siblings alone.

"Geez…" Toji shook his head.

"Yeah…" Hikari nodded.

Toji grunted, "Hmm…so…."

"Yeah…"

"Err…homework…"

"Right…"

And that's when the phone rang.

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (17:25)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"What's going on?" Asuka demanded as she tugged at the wrist of her Plug Suit, "Why are we here when the city isn't on emergency status?"

"Because, for some reason that we haven't deduced yet, the Demons aren't attacking Toride," Misato told her.

"Huh?" Shinji blinked, "But…why?"

"We don't know," Fuyutsuki shook his head and pointed at a digital map, "All we know is that in about 50 minutes, there will be a number of Demons in east Russia, just north of the Mongolian border."

"What's out there?" Toji asked.

"Nothing at all!" Asuka cried, "There isn't a bloody thing there!"

"Maybe," Misato glanced away, "We're contacting the Russian government to see if, _if_, there may be something out there…"

"You don't think that they kept something from last year, do you?" Shinji asked.

She shrugged, "It's possible."

"Either way, it's not like we can ignore them, just because they aren't on our front door," Fuyutsuki told them.

"Right," Toji said as he dropped his fist on the table, "When do we leave?"

"The Evas are being loaded as we speak," Misato told them.

Rei spoke suddenly, "Why are the Demons moving so slowly?"

Misato blinked, "Err…We don't know yet. We believe that they are using different entry vehicles, but if that's the only reason…we don't know."

"Any other questions will have to wait for the flight," Akagi said, looking up from her datapad, "The Evas are ready."

"Alright!" Toji stood, "Let's go!"

As the pilots filed out the door, Dr. Akagi turned to Fuyutsuki, "I don't like this. This has never happened before, though we have prepared for it."

"I know, Doctor," Fuyutsuki nodded, "I know."

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (17:56)

East Russian Airspace

Shinji glanced over his instruments, "Our ETA is 10 minutes, assuming that they don't change course."

"I know that," Asuka rolled her eyes.

Shinji frowned, "What's eating you?"

"I'm just tense," Asuka muttered, "Why aren't they attacking the city? Are they planning an ambush on the way? Or have they figured out that the city is our support and we're screwed if we need special equipment out in the field?"

Shinji shrugged, "I don't know─"

"That, and I'm wondering which ones are coming," she continued quietly.

He opened his mouth, but closed it and took a breath first, "Asuka…I know that you're…concern. But…it'll work out; you'll see."

She stared at him meaningfully as she worked her jaw.

"Really," Shinji smiled, "I mean it."

"Gee," she snorted and smiled faintly, "When did you become an optimist?"

He shrugged, "I don't know…Maybe after everything…I just don't have as bleak a vision of the world anymore…"

"Yeah…" Asuka glanced down as she appeared to mull over something before looking up again, "Shinji─"

"Hey Shinji!" Toji's face appeared, "I got a question for you."

Shinji glanced nervously between his two screens, _Great…It looked like Asuka was going to say something rather significant…I hope she doesn't bite his head off …_

Asuka glared for a moment than sighed, "Fine; help the idiot." Her screen flicked off.

Shinji turned to Toji and sighed, "What is it?"

"What?" Toji blinked, "Did I interrupt something?"

Shinji rubbed his neck and nodded, "Yeah…Asuka and I were talking."

"Oh," Toji grunted, "I see…"

Shinji rumbled slightly, "Toji…"

"Ah right," he said quickly, "Ah…well…It's going to be Hikari's birthday soon…and…"

"And, what?" Shinji blinked, "What's the big deal? Don't tell me you need help getting her a gift."

"No…" Toji smiled faintly, "That's not a problem; I already got her one…except…it's a bit of a problem…"

Shinji stared at him, "Huh?"

"It's just that…" Toji continued, "It's just that I don't want her to take it the wrong way…"

"What are you talking about?" Shinji said as he glanced at his instruments.

"I got her a nice pair of earrings…but…Shinji, we're living together…you know what I'm saying? I just don't want her to take it…well, the wrong way."

"Ahha…" Shinji nodded slowly, "You really are an idiot."

"Huh?" he blinked, "Dude, you've been hanging out with that Devil Woman for too long."

Shinji chuckled, "This is Hikari, Toji. Just tell her that it's a birthday gift, nothing more. Geez…"

"You sure?" Toji eyed him.

"Hey, I live with Asuka, don't I?"

"Yeah well," Toji shrugged, "We all figure that you two will be living with each other for the rest of your natural lives…"

Shinji stared at him wordlessly for a moment, than clicked his comm off.

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:05)

East Russian Airspace

"Nearing the intercept point," Rei stated.

"Acknowledged," Misato said over the comm., "Touchdown and continue on foot."

A chorus of acknowledgements came back to her as the four Evas descended towards the frost-covered ground. It was not yet cold enough to snow significantly and probably wouldn't until the end of the year, but it was a sign that things were going back to normal.

"Hey Shinji!" Asuka commed quickly, "When it finally snows decently, we're going to have to make some of the old fogies teach us how to ski!"

Shinji smiled, "Yeah."

They set down and carefully removed their flight equipment and armed themselves.

"Is everyone set?" Misato asked. They all answered affirmatively.

"Okay than…Move out!"

The Evas hurled themselves forward, rushing across the frosted plain.

"Misato, do you have anything on them yet?" Shinji asked.

"Nope. From what we can tell though, there's an abandoned town or something near there. We've been told that it was used as a base of operations for some limited oil drilling before 2015. No one should be there though."

"Roger that," Shinji nodded as glanced at he instruments again, "We're picking up some heat signatures, but nothing definite."

"Proceed with caution," she said gravely, than smiled, "Always wanted to say that."

Shinji rolled his eyes. He glanced up again to see that they were reaching the edge of a ridge; beyond which was the town.

"Heads up," Asuka commed, "I've got movement in the town…No sure, but I think there are Alphas in there."

Shinji nodded, "Alright…If it's just Alphas…"

"Tallyho!" Toji grinned as he jumped off the ridge.

Rei frowned, "We should proceed with caution─"

"Come on!" Toji snorted, "It's just some Alphas."

"Let's go," Shinji sighed, "We shouldn't separate."

The other three Evas dropped of the cliff and moved to catch up with 03. As they entered the town, it was obvious that they wouldn't have to worry about anything hiding behind a building; all the structures were no taller than three stories.

"Asuka…" Shinji started.

"I know, I know," Asuka grunted, "I _swear_ I saw some…where are they?"

"The heat signatures are gone," Rei pointed out, "They are here somewhere?"

"But where? What are they?" Asuka snapped, "They…they can't have just disappeared!"

"Is it possible that his was a diversion?" Rei queried, "A ploy to draw us away from the city?"

"But why?" Asuka replied, "_We_ are what they are after!"

"None of this makes sense!" Toji snapped suddenly, "What kind of Demon was coming here?"

Asuka was about to retort when she noticed something. There was an odd shadow on the ground in front of her.

_What the…no…_NO!

_No! Not that! _Asuka tried to scream, but her lungs seemed devoid of air. She couldn't scream, even to warn the others. All she could do was run.

The first thing that she noticed after she was running was a voice: It was calling her.

_No! Go away, go away, go away…_

"…Asuka! What's wrong!"

_It was Shinji! She had to answer! She had to warn him!_

Asuka gasped for a breath, managing enough for one word, "_Run_!"

Shinji was frowning at his instruments when Asuka suddenly bolted.

_What the…_ Shinji stared for a moment, unable to process what was happening.

Finally, he managed to comm her, "Asuka, what's wrong! Asuka, can you hear me? Asuka! What's wrong!"

Her response was distorted, but clear enough, "_Run_!"

"Huh?" Shinji glanced around, _What's going─_

Suddenly, the world around Shinji bent and twisted, and he found himself falling into nothingness.

Rei wasn't sure what happening, but she was certain that they were under some sort of attack.

First, Pilot Soryu had inexplicably charged off, only to stumble to a halt a few seconds later. Pilot Ikari had attempted some sort of communication, but they were being disrupted, as she had made several attempts to contact NERV HQ and her fellow pilots.

_I must proceed with caution_, she told her, _I have to locate the enemy and engag─_

_**What are you?**_

Rei frowned, _What was…_

_**What are you?**_ A face appeared, seemingly emerging from the screen in front of her.

Rei recoiled, "What…"

The face smiled darkly, "**I know what I am. What are you? After all, you can't be human**."

Toji stared. He wasn't sure what had happened, but the site before him drowned out all other thoughts.

Hikari. And Sakura. Dead. Dead and floating in a pool of their own blood.

_What the hell…_He stared, breathing haggardly.

"_You failed…_"

"What…" Toji cringed.

"_You failed us, Toji_," Hikari's lifeless body whispered to him, "_And now we are all dead._"

Toji found himself stumbling away, trying to shut the voice out, "No…No …NO! _NOOOOO_!"

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:20)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"What's happened?" Misato demanded, "Where are they!"  
"Unknown!" Hyuga replied, "That interference is still there! I can't find an open frequency!"

"Keep trying!" she ordered as she looked to Akagi, "Any ideas?"

"Not currently," she answered as she glanced at a readout from the Magi, "Except that the Evas just walked into an ambush."

"I know _that_!" Misato snarled as she whirled around.

"Ma…Major!" Kensuke called out as he entered, "Major! I have an idea!"

"What!" she and Akagi demanded.

"We can still access them via laser-beam transmission, can't we?" he asked.

"What lasers are we going to use?" Akagi snapped.

"The telemetry system in the Evas is still hooked up in with the GPS satellites, right?"

Akagi blinked.

Misato smiled, "Get on it."

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:20)

Russia

Curron consider the situation carefully. He and his Ry'kim had flawlessly executed their trap, ensnaring the pilots in their fears. It was an ability that they had developed in order to initiate the mind probe on a planet with beings that were more resistant to direct probes than most.

The question was, what to do now?

/General/ his second spoke to him/shall we commence probing/

Curron paused. Humans were, from was the X'kai had reported, simplistic compared to some species, but could have their sense of self wrapped in very complex ways. It was also a difficult decision to invade the mind of previous unstudied race; after all, the link could go both ways, as his former commander had found out when they had made contact with a race that was discovered to be latent psychics.

_However…given the reaction that these humans are having to our abilities now, I doubt that this would be one of those instances._

_Still…_

/Passive, surface scans only. Do so subtly, and build off the fear in their mind. We'll wait to actively push until we better understand their minds./

/Yes General./

Shinji winced and tried to shield his eyes from the light. He was standing in a dark room with one light. It was coming from beyond the desk he was stand in front of; the desk where his father was sitting.

"Shinji," a voice, his father's, washed over him, and somewhere, in the back of his head, he felt…something…encroaching on his mind.

Shinji frowned at the feeling, trying to discern what was causing it.

"Shinji," the voice called again, drawing his attention.

Shinji blinked at the light in his eyes, "Father? What's going on? Why are you here? Where are we?"

"It doesn't matter," the voice boomed throughout the room, "You've failed."

Shinji stared at him in horror, "W What?"

"You heard me," the condemning voice growled, "You've failed humanity, your fellow pilots, and me. It was all in vain because of your failure."

"But…" Shinji's mind raced as he tried to remember what had happened, "But what…"

"It doesn't matter now!" the image of Gendo Ikari slammed a fist down on the desk, "You've failed! It's over! They are all gone, and it is because of you!"

Shinji's knees gave out and he collapsed on the ground, "No…"

"You failed…failed…" the voice whispered in his ear.

Shinji trembled; he could see them now, everyone that he had failed. Everyone was dead; not just the pilots, but everyone at NERV, at school…the whole world. Everyone was dead because he hadn't been good enough, strong enough, smart enough, fast enough…

"Everyone is dead because of you."

Shinji screamed.

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:31)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato turned to Ritsuko, "Well?"

"We've got the Evas," she nodded slowly.

"And?" Misato asked impatiently.

"And they aren't moving. At all," Ritsuko turned to her, "We aren't sure what's going on. We're trying to see what sort of information we can get via the laser link. Oh, by the way, the United States is going to need an explanation of why we're hijacking their GPS satellites."

"I'll work on it after we finish this," Misato grunted.

"What is the status of the Evas?" Gendo Ikari demanded as he sat down.

Misato and Ritsuko glanced at each other before turning back to the NERV Commander.

"We aren't sure, sir," Misato started, "The Evas are stationary and we can't contact them."

"We're working on a datalink via laser," Ritsuko added.

"Very well," Ikari nodded, "I've been in conference with the Russians; they claim that they have nothing out there. The building in the area were part of an abandoned research and oil drilling facility."

"I see," Misato nodded.

"Ma'ams!" Kensuke yelled, "I got something!"

"What is it?" Misato demanded as she raced over to his console.

"I managed to access the Evas sync ratios," Kensuke said, somewhat apprehensive, "It's…not good…" He pointed at the screen.

"Oh crap," Dr. Akagi breathed.

"What's going on!" Misato demanded as she stared at the numbers.

"My guess would be psychological warfare," Akagi replied and turned to her other assistant, "Maya, do we have anything on the Nus?"

"Negative," she replied, "We haven't had time to develop anything on them."

Misato glanced at the numbers again, "Than I guess the only thing that we can do right now is pray."

Toji stared. He had been sitting numbing and staring for a long time now, or so it felt. He knew that there was something else he was supposed to be doing, but it didn't really matter at the moment. The only thing that really matter was this moment.

Hikari stared back at him, along with Sakura, Ayumi and Midori. They were dead still, bleeding from varies wounds; still glaring at him, accusing him.

At times, Toji found himself whimpering, or whispering apologies to the dead girls. Sometimes he would try and find something to say to comfort them, or explain why whatever had happened had happened. But he could never remember clearly what had happened, so he just continued to sit there, staring back at the dead girls.

Toji felt like there was something that he was supposed to do, but he didn't care. The girls were dead. Toji's life revolved around them, whether it was his sister that he had to raise and care for, or Hikari and her sisters, who he had taken in as family.

He looked at Hikari again, his mind numb with pain and regret. He wanted to say something, but words seem to fail him again.

Hikari was stared at him, like she usually did when he did something that irritated her.

Toji winced at all the stupid things that he had done over the years. He still wondered why he had done all of those things. It's not like that he had wanted to irritate Hikari. He admitted that he could be a bit of a goof, but he had pushed it a couple of times. That and sometimes peeping. Or being a jerk. Or lazy─

"What the…" Toji spoke aloud, frowning, _What the heck is going on…I _remember_ Hikari talking to me not more than…an hour ago? How is she here? And the other girls for that matter…_

"You failed us," Hikari moaned again.

Toji looked up at her again, and smiled sadly, "Sorry, but I have to go now. I want to win whatever fight this is and go home and see the real you."

The dead Hikari in front of him seemed to be take aback by his statement.

Toji braced himself. And than he slammed his fist into his forehead.

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:35)

Russia

/General/ one of the sentry Alphas contacted Curron/One of the Evas is mobilizing./

/It is mine/ Dettos, his third, added/The one called Toji Suzuhara of the Eva-03./

Curron paused. He hadn't thought that it was possible, but he had planned accordingly. Also, if one could do it, they all had the potential to/Acknowledged. Destroy it./

He paused again, than opened up to his own/Give me a status report on all of the other Evas. We will be taking the weakest-minded one with us./

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:35)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"Hey!" Kensuke yelled, "Toji's sync just spiked!"

"Really!" Misato rushed over, "What's it at?"

"He's up to 45…50 now…" Kensuke told her.

Dr. Akagi turned to Aoba and Hyuga, "Concentrate on getting a comlink open to 03!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:35)

Russia

Toji winced as he dodged another shot from one the Alphas. It hadn't helped that he had "woken up" with a bruised forehead or knuckles, but he had been shot at almost immediately and he hadn't had a chance to collect himself or to contact anyone.

And he still had the visions dancing in his head.

_Whatever is screwing with my mind is still at it_, he thought narrowly as he shot back at one of the Alphas when a ghostly vision of Hikari rushed him.

"Gaaaa!" he leaped away, nearly dropping all umpteen thousand kilos of his Eva on the ground.

"Geez, I can't fight like this!" he grunted desperately. He knew that Shinji and the other had had their unfair share of bad fights, but that didn't make him feel any better at the moment…

_Wait a sec! The others! I have to wake them up!_

_How? They'll probably in a worse mental state than you were. Are._

_Ah, come on. Think Toji, think! How did you wake up?_

Toji suddenly blinked and instinctively whipped away whatever was threatening to get in his eyes.

"Huh?" Toji stared at his hand. Blood. But from where?

_My forehead…_Toji abruptly smiled and glanced to his right.

"Alright Shinji: Time to wake up."

Curron stared. What was this Toji Suzuhara doing?

The black Eva had broke cover and had ran up to the purple and horned Evangelion unit, Shinji Ikari of 01 from the report, and had grabbed it by its shoulder and was shaking, and occasionally striking, it.

/These humans are bizarre/ Curron remarked, when something suddenly dawned on him.

/KILL HIM NOW! He's attempting to awaken 01! **Kill him**/

Shinji stared. He was at the beach again, on his hands and knees in front of his father's desk, staring into his pool of tears as the scent of blood filled his senses.

He didn't really hear the voices anymore. He didn't need to. He could see everyone in the pool before of him; everyone that he had failed: Rei, Asuka, Toji, Misato, Kensuke, Hikari…he could see the world around him, empty and devoid of any life.

_Failed_. _You failed._

Shinji didn't say anything; couldn't really. He was completely overwhelmed with guilt and remorse. All he could do was stare into the pool of tears and feel guilty.

After a while, he began to see other things: His mother dying in the experiment, his father leaving him…all these were his fault as well.

Shinji continued to stare as the visions of pain, death and regret flashed before his eyes, when something deep in his mind finally managed to surface: _How did this happen_?

Despite all the feelings of pain and grief that were rolling through his head, a small part of him managed to free itself up and tried to recollect how this had happened.

_The last thing that I remember was Asuka…she was running…and she had yelled at me to run as well…_

Shinji tore his tear-stained face away from the pool and stared at his father, "How did this happen?"

"It does not─"

"The _hell_ it doesn't!" Shinji roared. He was angry. Something inside of him had snapped. As soon as he had managed to pull himself out of his misery, he had begun to notice things, things that could not be. He _could not_ have been responsible for his mother's death, despite what he felt. He _would have_ remembered what had happened to everyone; what had happened to Asuka.

Asuka…

_What as second…_

"The last thing that I remember," Shinji growled, "was Asuka. She was running. And there's only one thing that I can think of that Asuka would run from."

The image of Gendo Ikari frowned, as if surprised at where this was going.

And that's when Shinji felt himself being jolted around like a ragdoll.

"_SHINJI_! _Would you **wake up**_!"

The voice jolted Shinji out of his momentary shock of being back in his Eva.

"Toji?" Shinji blinked in surprise, staring at the armored face of 03 in his view-screen.

"_Come on man_!" Toji yelled as he leaped out of the way as two Alphas fired, leaving burning holes in the ground, and knocking 01 off its feet.

Shinji didn't waste time asking questions. He rolled his Eva away and grabbed his rifle and began to shoot back as he scrambled to his feet. The Alphas that had been attacking Toji seemed stunned that he was shooting at them, and instead of turning their fire on him, they retreated temporarily.

"Toji!" Shinji shouted as he tried to gain his bearings, _What the crap is going on? I was…I was in my father's office…on the beach!_

"─inji! Shinji!" Toji yelled back at him, "There's some kinda interference with the comms, so they only work up close!"

Shinji nodded, "What about the others? We have to help them!"

"Right!" Toji nodded, "Seems that if you can whack whoever around enough, they wake up from whatever those things were doing to our minds."

Shinji blinked at that, but didn't argue the point. Besides, he wasn't sure if Toji was wrong. He grinned tightly, still trying to shake off the Demon's attacks on his mind, "Alright! Let's do it!"

"Yeah!" Toji grinned as well, "I'll take Rei; I owe her anyways."

"Right! Let's go!"

/The situation is losing containment/ Curron growled as he observed 03 and 01 together, probably planning freeing the other two from their Mind Trap.

/General/ Zinniz, his second contacted him.

/Yes/

/We have a theory on how 03 and 01 escaped./

/I see. What is the basis/

/It's biological, General./

/Their biology? I see/ Curron pondered momentarily/Has there been any indictation that they have any inborn psychic abilities/

/No, General./

/Very well. Initiate full probing./

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:42)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"Status update?" Misato asked as Dr. Akagi, Lt. Ibuki and Kensuke worked furiously.

"We've almost gotten through the Evas' navigation computers to their main onboard computers," the blond doctor managed in between orders at her subordinates, "From there, we can get into the main datalink and get communications back."

"What's their sync status?" Commander Ikari asked abruptly.

"00 and 02 are still hovering under the activation limit," Akagi told him, "01 and 03 are flipping between the 40s and 50s."

"Hopefully they've found away to break the probe and will have the others out soon," Misato murmured.

"I don't think that the Demons are using the same Mind Probe," Akagi commented as she glanced at a screen. I've not getting the same readings as when the Fifteenth attacked."

"What?" she blinked, "Than what is going on?"

"MA'AMS!" Maya screamed as she pointed at the screen displaying the sync levels.

Toji dodged around an Alpha that was guarding the immobile Unit 00, and drove his Prog Knife into its back, "I'll teach you to mess with us!"

The other Alpha dove at him, energy spear extended, only to smashed aside by the remains of its partner.

"Don't you worry, Rei," Toji smiled tightly as he grasped 00 by the shoulders, "I'll get you─" Toji cut himself off when 00 was suddenly engulfed in a beam of light.

Toji whirled around to see where the new attack was coming from, only to stare into a bright light.

Shinji stared in horror as Toji's screams filled his cockpit.

"Concentrate," he whispered to himself, "Everyone's counting me!" Shinji moved randomly, hoping to avoid the dangerous shafts of light from the fifteenth analogs.

Shinji glanced over at 02, noting grimly that Asuka was being subjected to the mind probe as well, _I have to help. I promis─AAAAAAAAHHHHH!_

Shinji managed to hold himself together enough to look up and see the malevolent shape drift over him, light pouring out of it. Shinji desperately tried to force himself forward, or anywhere, to get out of the light, _I can't give up…I have to…I have to help them…I…Aaaa…AAAAHHHHHHHHHH! _Shinji tried to shut out the voices, but he felt himself slipping away.

_Asuka…I'm sorry…_


	18. Chapter 18: Alone in the Dark

Chapter 18a: Alone in the Dark

Asuka ran.

If asked, she would deny knowing why she was running. But in her heart, her soul, she knew why.

She was afraid.

She had been afraid for a very long time. So long, that she was even sure how to stop running.

It had all started on that day. That terrible day when had been left alone.

Ever since that day, she ran, always fleeing the monster behind her.

It wasn't long until she had managed to forget what the monster behind looked like, nor for her to convince herself that so long as she didn't stop, that she had nothing to fear.

She was, after all, the best. Her mother had told her so.

Asuka trained, studied, and excelled. She entered college at age 12 and surpassed her peers, and all reports indicated that she was a far better pilot than the only other Evangelion pilot in existence. She was elite; the best. She was all her mother had hoped that she could have been, and more.

She was surrounded by admirers and yet separated from them; an untouchable, forbidden fruit. She could tease and flirt one moment, only to distance herself from them the next, always staying ahead of everyone.

And then, she moved to Japan. Initially, she reasoned that the situation would carry over. After all, who else could compete with her? In Japan, she would be the foreign beauty, thus being incomparable to any of the other girls. And what boy, even the Third Child, could she not wrap around her finger on a whim? After all, she was _the_ elite Evangelion pilot.

The infamous Third Child, whom she had heard a few reports about, was nothing that she expected. Instead of a true-bred Eva pilot, trained and studied in everything that an Eva pilot should know, she found a shy, demure boy who was lost in a world of terrible monsters. How pathetic, she thought, Surely there has to be more to him. After all, he was the only human to ever kill an Angel, let alone three of them.

So, when the Sixth Angel appeared, she hauled him into her Eva, deciding that she would wow him into heroine worship, showing him exactly how much better a pilot she was over him. Unfortunately, things didn't work out very well. She suffered embarrassment that day; it first time in a long time that she had suffered real embarrassment. Not just being caught by a pervert with a camera in a compromising situation, but…to actually depend on someone to assist her in something.

Ultimately, she told herself, it was unavoidable: Shinji was in the Plug, and so he needed to assist her, otherwise the Eva wouldn't respond correctly. That, and the equipment on her Eva wasn't designed for underwater combat, thus adding to the burden at the time. She would just have to prove her superiority the next time.

However, things kept happening; things that weren't suppose to happen. The next Angel, after another embarrassment, required her to Sync her attack with Shinji; another situation where she depended on someone else. The Eighth Angel she _did_ defeat, but if not for Shinji, she would have died. She did manage to even that score on the next Angel, but the fact still stained her mind.

And in between all of the combat with the Angels, she found herself somehow…not fall behind, but being caught up to. Shinji, despite having only been piloting, and training, in and for the Evas for a few months was quickly proving to be an excellent pilot.

And so it was happening. For the first time in all the years that she had been running, Asuka was facing not one, but two monsters; the monster of her past, and the one in her future: The one that threatened to strip away her position as an elite, her specialness. Asuka didn't fight to defeat the Angels, however important that was. No, she fought to pilot Eva, her Eva, made by her mother for her, her special little girl. She would prove that she was the best, that she could do it by herself. She would prove it to her mother, so that she would know that she, Asuka Langley Soryu, was her daughter. She would prove it to her father, that she could stand on her own and that she wasn't a little girl that need to be coddled. Not that she wanted his praise; she just wanted to prove him wrong.

Sometime, somehow, she began to lose. She didn't know if it was to the monster before her, or the one behind her. All she knew was that she was losing. So, she did what she always did. She ran. She ran harder than before; instead of enjoying an easy jog, she was starting to feel herself getting ragged.

She started to isolate herself more as well. Shinji, who, in the deepest, most secret part of her heart, she had started to consider a friend, was suddenly an enemy. He, who was outstripping her so suddenly, had to be defeated. She had to be the best to prove to herself that she was the best out of all of them. The fact that she was suddenly looking at Shinji back as they all race forward was inconceivable to her, and utterly unacceptable. It wasn't _just_ that he was better than her either; it was the fact that he wasn't elite like her. He was a coward, a submissive, soft, docile people-pleaser! He didn't pilot Eva to prove anything to himself; or even to defeat the Angels. All he seemed to want was his father's approval; a father that had thrown him out and was now just using him as a tool.

But, despite her efforts, Shinji still moved ahead, and she still was falling behind. When she finally got a chance again, she was utterly defeated by the Fourteenth Angel. She awoke in the hospital only to hear that Shinji had once again saved the day. It didn't matter to her that for some bizarre reason he was trapped in the Eva, he had still won where she had not.

She could feel the claws of the monster in front of her grasping for her, anxious to rend her to pieces, to steal away from her everything that she held dear.

And then, the Fifteenth Angel came. And it had grasped her feet, and forced her, for the first time in years, to stop running.

And now, it was happening again.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:43)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"_What's going on_!" Misato demanded, barely below screaming level.

"I can only hazard a guess…" Ritsuko replied coolly as she glanced at the limited data they had, "But I'd say that Fifteenth Analogs are out there."

"Fif…_Damn it_!" Misato snapped as she stormed around.

"Considering the situation," Commander Ikari spoke suddenly, "I think it's time to use the N2 Mines…"

Misato flared, "You can't! The Evas won't have their A.T. Fields active!"

"But…" Ritsuko spoke up, looking grim, "that might be the only way to save them…"

"And without their A.T. Fields ups, what's the likelihood of them surviving?" Misato demanded.

"It's a bad situation," Akagi said tightly, "One that has to be dealt with quickly."

"Wait a second…" Kensuke spoke up, "If the Demons are probing their minds…won't they…"

"It's a distinct possibility," Fuyutsuki nodded, "Which is why we need to kill those Demons as fast a possible."

"How did it get to this point?" Misato demanded, "Didn't you tell me that I wouldn't have to worry about this?"

Ritsuko sighed, "Yes. But only because _this_ is what we were saving the N2 mines _for_. We weren't going to use them until we encountered a Fifteenth Analog; so that they would be unprepared. Unfortunately, these Demons aren't following the specs of their Angel counterparts."

"Huh?" Misato blinked.

Akagi gave her a withering look, "All of the Demons that we have encountered so far, at least as far as we could tell, matched the Angels in terms of abilities and size. _Size_. The Fifteenth was huge; these are not. The fifteenth stayed in orbit; these are not."

Misato blinked again before sagging against a chair, "Crap."

"Indeed. We never had any intention of using the Evas against the Fifteenth Analogs. However, somehow we're in this situation. And we need to kill those things before they can tell the others about the Angels being here before it's too late, if it isn't already."

Misato glared at her for a moment, than sighed, "Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

Akagi nodded stiffly and turned to the Commander, "If we are going to, we should hurry."

Ikari nodded.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:46)

Russia

/What is the status on the mind probes/ Curron inquired as he drifted.

/Unit 00 is passively resisting, but the effect is minimal./

/Unit 03 is resisting strongly, and it is difficult to penetrate into the deeper parts of the mind./

/Unit 01 is…curious. It is both weak and easy to manipulate, but parts of it are fortified./

/General/ Zinniz pulsed/Unit 02 is weak. It seems that his one's mind was already strained and damaged. I have many memories in this one that are…interesting./

/Interesting? Why are you being vague/ Curron demanded.

/I would advise the General to see for himself/ Zinniz replied.

Curron hovered for a moment before approaching/I see…Very well./

* * *

Shinji was in pain. It wasn't a physical pain, but rather like a painful memory…magnified many thousands of times. Fractures of memories whipped by as he felt the claws of the alien presence in his mind tear through, probing, seeking. He felt as if he was tied up in a corner as a burglar ransacked his mind: Helpless and victimized.

Somewhere along the way, he found himself getting caught up in the memories as they flew by: First there was when his father had left him at the foster house, than his first day at his new school, than when had gone to his mother's grave and he had ran from his father. Each memory became more and more vivid, until he found himself standing one.

He blinked as he stared at a five year old version of himself, "Wha…Where am I…"

His younger self didn't seem to notice at he ran around, Shinji realized, one of the lab control rooms at NERV.

"Why is there a child here?"

Shinji snapped around, mouth half open to reply when saw who was asking: Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, who was pointing not at himself, but his younger self. Except…Fuyutsuki was…younger? Wait a second…this means…

"This is Commander Ikari's son," a woman whom Shinji had never seen before answered him. She looked familiar, but Shinji was certain he hadn't ever seen her before, _Maybe I've seen a relative of hers._

Fuyutsuki turned and addressed a man who was on the other side of the room, "Ikari, this is not a day care. This is a very important day."

_Father…_Shinji stared, before forcing himself to look around again, _This is so familiar…when is this?_

"I'm sorry Dr. Fuyutsuki," a new voice, a woman's, filtered through a comm, "I brought him here."

"Yui, it's your experiment today."

_Yui? Mother! But…Oh no!_

"That's why. I want to show the promising future to my son," she told him as his younger self waved out the window.

"_NO!_" Shinji screamed as he pounded on the heavy glass, "_NO! Mother! Don't do it!_"

"Stand by to initiate start-up," the dark-haired woman said as she tapped a few buttons.

"_No! Stop!_" Shinji shouted as he ran over to her, "_Don't!"_

"Everything checks, starting…" she continued, oblivious to him.

"_STOP!_" he screamed as he tried to grab her arms away from the console, only to find that his hands passed right through her.

"Initial connection is good…"

"_You have to stop! You can't do this!_" Shinji screamed as he sunk to the floor.

"Secondary connection established. Starting up the program…"

"_Father! Father you have to stop this! She's going to die!_" Shinji screamed in vain as Gendo Ikari stared intently out the window, watching the experiment with excitement in his eyes.

"Sync established. Sync is at 32 percent and rising…"

"_NOO!_" Shinji cried in despair, _It's happening again…not again…I don't want to watch this again…_

"Sync is at 58…81…" the woman's voice started to register panic, "94…"

"Shut it down!" Gendo ordered.

"It's too late…too late…" Shinji moaned on the floor, "She's gone…"

"Disconnection isn't working! The signal's being ignored!" the woman stared in disbelief.

"Shut the power off!" Gendo snapped from other console.

"I…can't…" she whispered in horror.

"She's gone…" Shinji whispered hoarsely as he struggled to get up, "She's been absorbed…"

"Force eject the plug!" Gendo ordered, madness and desperation creeping into his voice.

"That would almost certain kill her!" Fuyutsuki snapped suddenly.

"And if this keeps up!" Gendo retorted, indicting the console that was reporting a Sync of 345 and still climbing.

For Shinji, the voices faded as he limped to the window, tears staining his face, "Mother…Mother…I'm sorry…"

Even as the noise in the background faded from his mind, he because acutely aware that he was being watched.

He turned to see that his younger self was staring intently at him, "She's in danger."

Shinji stared at him, vaguely pondering why he could see him, "I'm sorry but…it's too late for Mother…"

"Not her," he replied patiently, "This happened a long time ago.

"The important one: She's in danger."

Shinji blinked, _The important one? In danger?_

Shinji fought through the hazy fog in his pain and despair-numbed mind as he tried to recall exactly what he had been doing before he had ended up here.

_ I was…fighting…fighting in Eva…_

_We were attacked…and…_

Shinji's eyes widened, "Asuka."

His younger self nodded, "You promised her."

Shinji looked around at his surroundings, watched as the woman and his Father and Fuyutsuki arguing and working at various consoles.

He turned back to his younger self, "I…I couldn't do anything here…not before, and not now…

"But…this is all in the past, isn't it? If I let this hold me back, I won't be able to save her, will I?"

His younger self nodded, "You've grown. Now you realize that you are different from then, and the rest of your past. You are different now; now you have the power to change this world. You just need the resolution to do so."

Shinji smiled wanly, "Thank you…Who are you anyways?"

The small boy smiled, "Let's just say that the Angels didn't quite tell you everything there is to know about the Evas. Go. She needs you."

Shinji nodded and closed his mind off from the memory, concentrating on present and ignoring the pain that was being inflicted on him, _Asuka…I'm coming…_

_

* * *

_

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:51)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"Status on the N2 mines," Commander Ikari queried.

"About a half hour," Aoba replied.

"I'll have satellite imaging of the area from the Americans in a moment," Kensuke reported.

"I'm getting some Sync fluctuations in 01," Akagi spoke up suddenly, "Shinji's starting to bouncing around again."

"Is it possible he's forcing out the mental contamination?" Misato asked hurriedly.

"I have no idea," she replied as she checked his connection levels, "Theoretically that's not possible, but maybe he's somehow shielding himself with the Eva…"

"Since when did theoretical and Shinji Ikari go hand in hand?" Misato asked dryly.

"Point."

Kensuke blinked at the conversation, but his attention snapped back to his console when it started to beep at him, "I've got the satellite imaging!"

A screen blinked into existence, displaying a top-down of a white area with several small black and gray blocks…and four beams of light shining on the Evas.

"I've got them!" Hyuga grunted, "00 is stationary, with two Alphas nearby! 01 is also stationar…Wait! 01 is moving!"

He stated the obvious as they all watched the horned Eva lurch forward and eviscerate the nearest Alpha.

"Yeah!" Misato cheered, "Go Shinji!"

"Problem," Ritsuko sighed from her console, "His Sync is hovering are 35…I think that mental probe is still interfering with him."

Misato nodded before turning back to Hyuga, "Where are Asuka and Toji?"

"Let's see…03 is close to 00; it's also stationary…02 is…oh no…"

"Oh hell no," Misato breathed, "Can we talk to Shinji?"

"Not at the moment…" Ritsuko frowned from her station, "What's the problem?"

Misato pointed. 02 was surrounded by five large twisted bird-like objects, who were carrying it towards a black pit in the ground, about two kilometers away.

Dr. Akagi smiled bitterly, "Of course. That's how they were transporting them without us detecting them."

Misato nodded, "A Kappa."

"I hope Shinji gets over there quick," Kensuke gulped.

Commander Ikari exhaled deeply, "Indeed."

* * *

Asuka felt herself falling: Falling through memories of pain, of humiliation and of horror. She knew that she was being raped again. Just like before, except, unlike last time, the one that was doing it wasn't just malicious; it was sadistic. She could feel its sick enjoyment in torturing her.

She saw flashes of her life fly past her; either happiness escaping like sand through her fingers, or pain and suffering coming back to haunt her. Eventually, the darkest part of her life was before her again.

And so Asuka Langley Soryu found herself standing next her younger self, and watching her mother coddle a doll and call it her daughter.

"Asuka…" Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu's singsong voice rang through Asuka's ear's clearer than it should have, "come with Mommy to heaven…"

"But Mommy," Asuka's younger self spoke softly, "that's a doll. I'm your daughter…Me…"

Asuka bit her lip as she watched it all. She knew now that her mother's mind, most of it anyways, was trapped in Unit 02, and not in the hospital room with the rest of her.

But it still hurt.

"It's cold out here," little Asuka said softly, "and I'm lonely mommy…Can we go home now?"

Asuka swallowed as she hugged herself, _Alone…I was all alone starting then…Father was too busy and…and no one else really understood me…_

_Why…why did it have to be this way?_

Her mother suddenly stood, holding the doll by the hand, "Let's go to heaven Asuka…Everyone is waiting for us."

Asuka stiffened, _Again? Do have to see this again?_

"Mommy!" little Asuka cried as she banged on the glass, "Don't leave with me, Mommy!"

_It's not real…It's not real_, Asuka told herself as she trembled, unable to turn away from the soon-to-be horrific scene.

Kyoko and the doll, however, didn't hang themselves. Instead a door on the far wall opened, spilling light into the room.

"What…" Asuka blinked in surprise.

"_Mommy_!" little Asuka screamed, "_Don't leave me_!"

"Let's go to heaven Asuka," she smiled dreamily.

"…Okay," the doll whispered as it started to walk with Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu into the light.

Suddenly Asuka fell backwards as the whole room turned. She landed on her back, with the light-spilling door far above her.

"What…What's going on!" Asuka asked, panicking at the sudden change.

As she stared up at the light, she saw her mother and the doll floating upward.

Asuka was scared; she had never experienced something like this, "Mother! Mother! Please help me!" She tried to reach for them, but her hand struck a barrier.

"What the…" she stared in disbelief as she felt around with hands.

During her examination of the invisible barrier, she noticed that her younger self was standing on top of the barrier, "Hey! What are you doing there?"

Her younger self stared at her bitterly, "They don't want me! Fine! I'm fine on my own!"

Asuka couldn't believe it, "But that's mother! Go after her!"

"Why? She likes that doll more than me," she bit out, "I don't need her! I don't need anyone! I'll be fine by myself! I can take of myself!" And with that, she turned and walked into the darkness.

"Idiot!" Asuka screamed at her, "You don't know! You don't know what it's like!"

Asuka bit her lip as she lost sight of herself, "Was I that stupid…did I think like that…" She turned back to look at the light, when she noticed something else: Other people were now floating into the light. People she knew, from Germany, from NERV Branch Three, and from school.

"What's going on!" she cried, "Where are you all going!"

"We're going to heaven," they all spoke in unison, "To heaven."

"Wait!" she shouted as she pounded on the barrier, "Don't leave me! Let me come too!"

"Goodbye, goodbye," everyone chanted as they floated higher.

"_Wait_!" she screamed, when she spotted a more familiar face, "Hikari!"

"Goodbye Asuka," Hikari waved as she flew with her sisters, "I'm going to heaven now."

"_NO_!" she cried, as her hands started to numb from her constant pounding, "_Don't go_! _Don't leave me alone_!"

As she flew away, Asuka felt herself begin to hyperventilate and her arms start to feel very rubbery. But she didn't dare stop.

"Misato!" she shrieked when she saw her superior, "_Misato_! You have to help me!"

"Sorry Asuka," she waved apologetically, "But I have to go now. Ryoji's waiting for me. Bye…"

"_Noo_!" Asuka tried to scream, but she didn't have enough air to air to do it. As she watched everyone float away she slowed her beating on the barrier until she eventually stopped and looked at them, bloody and bruised.

_It's hopeless…_

Asuka sobbed as covered her eyes with her arms, blocking out the light. She shivered before laying still, for it was cold and she was alone in the dark.

* * *

Chapter 18b: Asuka's Soul: Strength, Faith and Roaring Fire

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:52)

Russia

Shinji gritted his teeth as he slashed the second Alpha, leaving a long cut in its chest. As it fell to the ground, he looked around, desperately staving off the voice being projected into his head by the bright beam of light, _I gotta stay focused…gotta find Asuka… gotta find Asuka…_

As he moved forward, he noted as dispassionately as he could that Unit 00 and 03 were being guarded by three Alphas, who were tracking but not engaging him.

_They're fine right now_, he told himself, _They'll be fine…I have to find Asuka…Asuka's the one that's missing…the one in danger…where is she…_As he continued forward, he suddenly saw an image of Rei on the ground, bleeding, before he forced it out of his mind.

"AAAGGHHHH!" he hissed between clenched teeth as his Eva stumbled forward before he regained his footing.

"Damn Demons! Can't you just leave me alone!" he cursed as he glared at them, squinting in the light. His glare shifted to a look of hostile curiosity as he stared at them, "What the…is that…it…it couldn't be…"

He swallowed as he quickly checked his sensors to verify his suspicions, hoping that he was wrong. He wasn't.

"Why?" he whispered to himself, "Why are they taking her away?"

_Does it matter?_

_No, not really._

'She's in danger,' his younger self had told.

"No kidding," he breathed as he trudged forward, "But I promised…and I plan on keeping my promise. Don't worry Asuka…I'll make up for not helping you earlier. I'm…on my…waaaAAHHH…" He clutched his head as the beam seemed to intensify.

_Gotta stay focused…_he told himself before he smiled grimly, "Damn…I really wish I could go berserk right now…"

* * *

Curron couldn't help but be gleeful. Where all other had failed, he had succeeded. And with Unit 02 as his proof, none of the other could deny it: They had been here. Of course, the Overseer wouldn't be happy. All of those wasted resources on this planet, when it wasn't even worth it. All that was left was to turn it into a mini star and be on their way back.

Still, the fact that Unit 01 had somehow managed to break free of their hold spoke of great will in these humans; at least some of them anyways. The one in 02 certainly was weak. Of course, from what he had seen of that one's mind, it hadn't been in great shape before Zinniz had his way with it.

/Stop 01, he ordered the Vi'lic as he and the rest of his Ry'kim carried 02 to the awaiting Z'da for transport back to the Overseer/I don't need it's interference at this stage./

As he returned to his task, he brushed the mind of 02 again, feeling its agony.

/Enjoy while it lasts, human/ he pulsed/More pain awaits you before the end./

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:53)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"How's Shinji doing?" Misato asked as she squeezed her arm.

"His Sync still isn't very good," Ritsuko told her, "No Elemental Engines are available."

Misato nodded, "And the others."

"Still out of it."

"This is bad," Aoba swallowed as he stared at the overhead display, "They're getting close to the Kappa. Maybe another two minutes."

"We can't give up on them yet!" Misato declared, "We've had way too many close ones to just give in now!"

"True," Ritsuko nodded, "But we've never had a situation as hopeless as this either."

"I know," Misato sighed as she slumped against the wall.

"What's the ETA of the N2?" Command Ikari asked.

"21 minutes," Hyuga reported, "Maybe 19 if they can shoot early."

"So we need a miracle," Misato commented.

"Yep," Ritsuko nodded, "Any left?"

Misato smiled tightly, "I sure hope so."

"And if there aren't?" Kensuke asked nervously.

"Than you better start praying that we can get one on credit, signed and delivered, in the next two minutes," she replied with closed eyes.

* * *

Asuka wept as she laid on the ground, her arms still hiding her eyes from the light. She was alone in the dark, and everyone was leaving for heaven while she was trapped. But that didn't mean that she was alone. The voices were there, taunting her: The voices of those saying goodbye…and the other ones.

_You're all alone now, just like you wanted to be._

_I didn't want this! I didn't want to be alone!_ she protested.

_Yes you did. That's why you ran. Why you were always running._

_I was running because…_

_Because you were afraid! You were afraid, so ran from everyone. To be alone!_

_I didn't want this! I didn't want everyone to leave me!_

_No? Well, that's a surprise. Considering how you treated everyone, it's a wonder why they didn't leave you earlier._

_But…But I was elite! I was the best!_

_That doesn't really matter now does it? No one cares about that, only about how they are treated._

_I…I didn't mean…_

_That doesn't matter now,_ the voice chided her, _Now you are alone. Broken and alone._

The voice laughed manically as it faded again, leaving her to her own misery, and the voices of the departing.

As the familiar voices filtered in, Asuka was swallowed in waves of regret, _Why? Why did I do it? Any of it, all of it? I just…I just didn't want to be forgotten again…_

Asuka shuddered as a chill went down her spine, _I'm sorry…I really am…Please…I regret it…_

Asuka blinked back tears as a memory trickled into her mind, _Shinji…I had almost forgotten…I…I never told him…I never got the courage to tell him…Now I'll never know…_

Asuka was starting another round of misery at that recollection when a voice whispered to her, _Open your eyes._

_What? No! I don't want to see!_

_You are hiding your soul in darkness, when there is light to be seen._

_I don't care! I'm trapped; alone! I don't want to see! I don't want anymore pain!_

_In life, there is always a risk of pain…But that is a risk that must be borne if you wish to see the light._

_But I'm trapped! I can't get out of the darkness!_

_Open your eyes…_the voice urged.

_I don't want to! I don't want to see them leaving!_ Asuka cried. She didn't want to see more people leaving her alone; more people abandoning her.

But a small spark burned in her; a small spark that still hoped. And it urged to look.

_But I don't want to look! I don't want to chance it!_

_Have faith_, the voice whispered.

_Faith? In what? In who?_

_Have faith…_

_But I'm not strong enough to look! I can take anymore pain!_

'You are strong…' a memory of a voice spoke to her.

_I…I'm not…_

'You are strong…'

Asuka didn't know why, but the voice soothed her, and breathed some confidence back into her.

_Open your eyes…_

Asuka didn't know what she was see, or if this was another game of the cruel voice, but she decided to take a chance, and to step out in faith and see.

And she looked.

And she saw.

She saw mostly what she expected to see: People floating away, towards the light.

But there was one difference this time. One exception.

Asuka blinked and swallowed hard at what she was seeing, at what, who, was standing before her.

Everyone that Asuka Langley Soryu had ever known was leaving her, floating into the light. All save one: Shinji Ikari. He wasn't floating, wasn't moving. He stood on the other side of the barrier, smiling.

"Sh…Shinji…?" Asuka's voice cracked.

Shinji didn't speak. The only indication that he heard her at all was that his smile grew a little.

_But…but why? Why is he…_

'…promise…'

Asuka blinked as another memory tried to force itself into her mind.

'…promise…not…'

_What…what did he…_

'promise…not…stay…'

Asuka's eyes widened as the full memory appeared.

'I promise not to, Asuka. I promise to stay,' he had said.

_He…he promised…to…to stay with me…_Asuka realized.

Though she hadn't spoken, Shinji seemed to hear her. He smiled broadly at her, and extended a hand to her.

_He…he's here to stay with me…he…with me…_

Asuka jolted with realization, _I'm not alone._

_I'm…not alone…anymore…_

Shinji vanished from beyond the barrier, but before Asuka had realized it, Shinji had his arms around her from behind, as he cradled her with his body.

"Sh…Shinji…" she whimpered as he held her.

He smiled at her and nodded and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid anymore…It's not dark anymore…"

_No…_Asuka smiled, _it's not…and it's not cold anymore either…_

"It's time to fight again," he told her.

"It's alright," she smiled, "Because, I'm not alone."

And the darkness, and the barrier, vanished as all went white.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Ritsuko stared in disbelief, "The hell?"

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

Russia

/Curron/ Zinniz screamed/There is a problem/

* * *

Inside Unit 02, Asuka's eyes snapped opened.

* * *

Shinji had just kicked an Alpha's corpse aside when his Eva beeped at him.

"Huh?" he blinked at the warning and radius his Eva was giving him.

* * *

/What is─/ Curron was cut off as the eyes of Unit 02 suddenly flared jade green, and four slots slid open on it's back.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

"I don't know!" Ritsuko yelled as she pointed, "But 02's sync is spiking! It's at 56…89…It's at 100!"

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

Russia

/General…/ Zinniz started, but never had at chance to finish.

* * *

Inside 02, Asuka was one.

As one, she turned and flipped open the safety of a button she had never used before. As one she smiled in righteous vengeance. As one, she breathed, as one, she pressed the button, and as one, she spoke a word:

"Firestorm."

* * *

Shinji gawked at what his sensors were telling him before he confirmed it with his eyes.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

At NERV, where they had seen the disbelievable, and fought the undefeatable, they stared in shock and awe.

The area where there had been five Nus, two Alphas, one Kappa, and one captive Evangelion, there was now a gigantic vortex of fire.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:54)

Russia

Shinji stared in horror as he realized that, in the center of the fire, was Asuka. It wasn't the fact that it was fire that horrified him. It was the fact that it was a fire unlike any he had ever seen. It seemed to feed on the very air around it, drawing it in like a greedy vacuum.

_Wait…_he told himself, _Asuka's element is fire…so maybe she did it…can't think of why the demons would any…_

Shinji suddenly realized that thinking and moving were a lot easier, _The…the beams are gone!_

Shinji took it as a good sign that they were now winning. He turned and quickly checked on Rei and Toji. Their Evas were staggering, but they were moving…Shinji frowned suddenly when he noticed that the last pair of Alphas had decided to turn and run when they realized that he wasn't being affected by the Nus' beam anymore.

He was torn, but made a quick decision, _I'll take out those two and than go and see Asuka...If I can…_

"Hey Shinji!" Toji's voice suddenly boomed from his comm, "What the crap is going on?"

"I don't really know," Shinji swallowed. Toji didn't sound real good.

"I'm guess that the devil's in there, eh? Well, go ahead and see if you can help. I need some therapy right now, and those two Alphas look about right."

"Okay…If you're sure…" Shinji hesitated.

"I'm sure," he grunted, "And Rei's okay too…sort of. I think she passed out though. Just go and see to the devil, and I'll take for the rest."

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:55)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato stared dumbly, "A what?"

Ritsuko rubbed her temple, "A firestorm. It's a kind of fire that being sustained by air being sucked in so fast because of the heat it's generating."

"Okaaaay…" she nodded slowly, "And you think that 02 is doing it…safety?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes. Somehow, the Eva is automatically controlling it, but must take a lot of calculations to maintain it safely, because it requires a sync of 100 percent."

"So…" Maya breathed, "That's a level 4?"

"Yep," Akagi nodded.

"Then…what will the other ones be like?"

No one answered.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (18:55)

Russia

Asuka smiled jovially in the center of the storm of fire. She could feel the strain of running at 100 percent, but knew that she could hold it a bit longer; long enough to kill of the last demons that were in her storm.

The two Alphas were the first to go, vanishing almost immediately. Four of the five Nus were gone as well, leaving only the last Nu and the thing she had identified as a Kappa. The remaining Nu, apparently stronger than the others, had tried to invade her mind in a last ditch effort, but when she was at 100 percent, there were no cracks to get in. The Kappa on the other hand, she wasn't able to attack directly. However, Asuka figured that the thing could only hold so much energy before it died.

* * *

/This…This isn't _possible_/ Curron screamed in the intense heat and pressure/This can't be! I…I need to warn the Overs─/ And Curron ceased to exist.

* * *

The Kappa wasn't a sentient being, but it did register that its contents were quickly becoming a danger to it. However, due to the constant flood of such powerful energy, it wasn't able to close itself off.

* * *

Asuka nodded in satisfaction when the Kappa exploded, and vaporized in the fire. She toggled the switch for the Elemental Engine, and cut the flow of energy to the storm.

* * *

Shinji stopped as the storm suddenly fluctuated. He had been approaching it cautiously when it suddenly started to flicker and diminish in size, _I hope that means that Asuka just turned it off…_

He stared intently into the heart of the shrinking storm, hoping to see a, at least complete, 02. The last of the fire disappeared in a suddenly poof of smoke, revealing an unmoving Eva.

Shinji noted that the ground was still smoking, and decided that crossing at the moment wouldn't be the most prudent thing...

"Shinji!" Misato's voice suddenly snapped from his comm, causing him to nearly fall, "Shinji can you here me!"

"Y-Yeah…" he croaked as he recovered from the shock.

"Are you guys okay?"

"I…I think so. Toji is…I think…He said that Rei was passed out…and Asuka…"

"Yeah we know…We're trying to get through to her, but she isn't responding…"

Shinji nodded as his heart stopped for a second, "I'll see what I can do."

He bit his lip as he looked at the smoking ground again before smiling grimly to himself, "Well…01 needed a new paint job anyways…" He started forward cautiously as he opened a comm to Asuka, "Asuka…Asuka, can you hear me?"

When she didn't answer he picked up speed as he hastened to close the gap, "Asuka! Can you here me!" He was close enough now to see the steam coming off of 02 though it didn't seem to have any damage at all from the fiery storm.

"Asuka?" Shinji asked softly as he reach out and gently shook 02. Nothing happened for a moment, then Asuka appeared on his screen.

Shinji was taken aback, both by her appearance, and the contrast that it presented. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face was stained with tears and, her hair was rumpled, probably from being gripped. But…in her eyes, Shinji could see a certain…light. It was like the fiery determination and confidence that she had radiated when he had first met her…but it seemed even brighter than it had been then. And her smile wasn't the normal arrogant, haughty smile that he was still use to. It was…pleasant, bespeaking of an inner peace that he hadn't expected to see after what she had just gone through.

"Asuka?" he asked tentatively, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "Yes…Yes I am…I'm...alright…I'm alright for the first time in a long time…"

"That's…that's good," he smiled back, his mind trying to grasp at what was going on.

She seemed to hesitant before speaking again, "Shinji…Thank you…"

He blinked at that: For what, "Ahh…No problem."

She nodded tiredly, "Can we go home now?"

"Sure thing, Asuka," he sighed in relief, "Sure thing."

* * *

Chapter 18c: Aftermath

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (9:55) GMT

Near Earth

The Overseer was furious/How could this have happened/

/It would seem that more intelligence on the abilities of the Evangelion units would have been prudent/ Iycho stated.

None of the other spoke at that, all knowing that it was true. The fact that no General of the _Udun_ had fallen in a long time, save in battle with the Enemy, proved to still any of their normal squabbles.

/Ter'la'dim. Prepare for battle. Take yours and destroy 02 and the others./

/As you command/ the leader of the Tol'lic said as he faded.

/Iycho, if he fails, you will undertake your mission./

The Ren General nodded/I understand./

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (19:12)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

Misato sighed as she sat down, "Finally. That was…bad."

"Indeed," Ritsuko nodded as she monitored their progress back, "Their Sync is still down, but hopefully it'll bounce back."

"How's Asuka?"

"Hovering around 60 now. I think that her mind was strained by hold 100 for that long, especially after the mental probing."

"Sir," Misato turned to Commander Ikari, "It is my recommendation that the pilots be released after being examined for contamination, providing that everything checks out, so that they can rest before they file reports."

Ikari nodded slowly, "Very well."

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (20:21)

NERV HQ, Geo-Front, Toride Tokyo

The Evangelions arrived safely at 20:03, though it took a while to get them into the cages because they had to be examined before Akagi approved for Plugs to be removed.

None of the pilots complained; they were too exhausted to. By the time that Shinji stood upright he was starting to come down from his adrenaline high, and he had to steady himself.

He looked around to see various techs running around, though they all were maintaining a healthy distance. He tried to smile, but he was suddenly too tired.

"Shinji?" He turned to see Asuka walking over, looking pensive.

"What is it?"

"I feel…" she trailed off as she looked down, rubbing her arms.

"I know," he nodded as he reached over and squeezed her shoulder, "It's probably because we're coming off of an adrenaline high; a long high."

"Well," she tried smile, "looks like someone remembers their biology."

Than she started to cry. Shinji froze momentarily, but Asuka nearly fell and his reactions sprung him into action, and he ended up cradling Asuka on the ground. He blushed as he noticed Dr. Akagi coming towards them. He started to say something, but decided not to and just pulled Asuka closer to him.

Dr. Akagi tried to suppress a smile as she walked over to the two pilots, _After such an ordeal, Asuka comes and clings to Shinji…I wonder if this is related to what happened to her…_

"Hopefully this won't take long," she told them, "I just need to make sure that you all aren't going to mutant or anything." She tried to raise a smile out of them, but she could tell that Asuka was pretty gone and Shinji wasn't far behind her.

"I can get some stretchers of you want," she offered them.

Shinji managed to look up at her and smile, "Thanks. How are the others?"

"Toji's already being examined and Rei's been transferred into the medical wing to make sure that her passing out wasn't anything serious."

Shinji blinked. How long had they been here? He sighed, "Okay…Let's go Asuka…"

She managed to nod weakly, "Okay."

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (22:43)

Toride Tokyo

Despite that nothing was wrong with them, Dr. Akagi decided to have them wait until all of the radiation had faded from their bodies to insure that it didn't mask any problems. Though that meant that they had to hang around for two extra hours, they all nodded understandingly.

As they all rode to the surface, Shinji glanced at Rei, "Are you sure that you're alright?"

She blinked before nodding slowly, "I believe so."

"If you want, and I can walk you home," Kensuke offered, breaking his silence.

She blushed slightly, "Thank you."

Shinji sighed in relief, thankful that Kensuke had offered. He wanted to get Asuka home as soon as possible, but didn't want to have Rei go home alone.

"Well," Toji said as they arrived at the top, "I'll see you guys later. Dunno about the rest of you, but I think I'll be skipping school tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Shinji nodded as he looked at Asuka again. They weren't touching at the moment, but Shinji doubted that would be the case before they made it home.

"Misato is driving us," Shinji told him, "She has to come right back, but I think…"

"It's okay," the jock shrugged, "A good walk will be good for me."

Shinji thought about arguing with him, but decided again it, "Okay…I'll call in the morning."

He shrugged again, "Sure."

He, Kensuke and Rei departed as Misato rolled up, "He didn't want a ride?"

Shinji shook his head, "He said a walk would be good for him."

She nodded, "Okay. I'll call Hikari to tell her that he's on the way."

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (23:02)

Toride Tokyo

Toji sighed as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. It wasn't that he felt bad. It was…it was that he felt hollow: A feeling that that should have hurt more, when it didn't. Or was that how they were hurting him? He still couldn't tell, and that disturbed him.

When he arrived at the apartment, everyone was already in bed. He found a note from Hikari that there was a plate of food for him in the fridge. He started for the kitchen, but stopped halfway. He wasn't sure why, but he found himself walking to the girls' room. He creaked the door open, and peered in.

_Their safe. _

_Of course they are…why wouldn't they be?_

_Well…I just wanted to be sure…_

"Toji?"

He whirled around to find Hikari looked at him, "Oh, hi…I…I just was checking them…you know…just making sure that everything okay…"

She nodded, "Okay…Are you alright?"

He straightened up, "Yeah…Yeah I'm fine."

She nodded again, "Good…Umm…Did you see the note about…"

"Oh yeah…I…I was about to get to that…"

"Okay…Umm…Do you mind of I stay up with you?" she asked shyly, "I…I'm feeling a little hungry too. Didn't eat much earlier…"

"Oh," he commented as they made their way to the kitchen, "Sure."

They didn't speak as she heated up the food. As she stood there, Toji could help but look at her. And the longer he looked at her, the feeling of hollowness grew.

When it was ready, she set his plate down, but he stood, "I'm not hungry anymore; sorry."

"Toji," she grabbed his arm, "You should ea─" She stopped abruptly when he whirled around and stared at her.

She felted a wave of panic, but it subsided as she looked at him more closely, "You…you aren't alright, are you?"

"I…" he swallowed tightly, "I don't know…I don't…I feel hollow…On the inside…"

"Toji…" she breathed softly.

He blinked as he found himself staring at her. Then, without warning, he pulled her into embrace.

"Toji!" she squeaked in shocked.

"I…I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear as he started to tremble, "I just…I just can't seem to hold it together…"

As he broke down and started to cry, she slowly slipped her arms around him, "Toji…It's alright…"

And there they stood for a while, as Toji cried.

* * *

Thursday, February 6, 2016 (23:03)

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment, Toride Tokyo

"Well you guys be okay?" Misato asked for the umpteenth time.

"Well be fine," Shinji assured her, feeling slightly exasperated.

"Okay…" she nodded slowly as she glanced at Asuka, who was nursing a cup of hot chocolate on the couch.

"I'll make sure she's fine," he told her.

She nodded, "Okay…I'll see you guys in the morning…or afternoon…"

"Right," he waved, "Bye."

"…Bye," Asuka managed.

When she left, Shinji made his way over to the couch and sat next to Asuka, "You are okay, right?"

Asuka nodded, but stayed silent.

Shinji sat there for a while as Asuka drank. As he felt himself feeling sleepy he was about to get up to go to bed, when Asuka suddenly spoke, "Shinji…I…I need to tell you something."

He blinked, "What is it?"

She exhaled deeply and turned to him, "Ah…I…I've wanted to tell you for…for a while now…but…but I never managed…managed to…"

"Asuka," he reached and gripped her hand, "It's okay. You can tell me."

She looked away before turning back to him, "I…I just…I just wanted to tell you that…" She stopped and looked down, biting her lip.

"Asuka?" he asked after a moment.

"...ry…"

"Huh?" he blinked.

"I'm…" she forced her head up, revealing tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry!"

Shinji was taken aback, "What?"

"I'm sorry!" she swallowed hard, "I'm sorry for everything!"

"Asuka…"

"I've…I always treated you so badly…I was such a…"

"Asuka," he stroked her face, "It's okay."

"You…you aren't mad that I didn't…apologize earlier?"

Shinji sighed in exasperation, "Of course not, Asuka."

"Oh," was all she managed at the moment.

"Ummm…" Shinji noticed that Asuka had increased her grip on his hand, "Asuka…It's late. We should go to bed…"

"Could you…" she glanced at him, "ah, stay here with me…for a little longer?"

Shinji smiled in surrender, "Sure."

Author's Note: No real pre-reading. Probably repost.

Note to Naon, if you want, you can proof it and email it back to me.


	19. Chapter 19: Picking up the Pieces

Author's Note: Okay. Yes. I'm not dead and this is indeed an update. Sorry about everything. I plan on finishing this, but life got...crappy. Anyways, here it is. R&R and stuff.

Chapter 19: Picking up the Pieces

February 6, 2016, Morning

Rei groaned as the morning light found her eyes. Normally she didn't mind, but yesterday had tossed normality out the window. Rei opened one eye to examine her clock when she noticed that it wasn't there. Nor was her room.

She bolted upright and stared at her surroundings. She was in a large, and rather comfortable, double bed with dark wood posts. She noticed that there were pictures on the mantel across from the bed, as well as chair with a blanket draped on it. She quietly got up and examined the pictures. They were mostly of a man, in a JDF uniform, and a woman. Both had bright eyes and a radiant smile. In one picture, the woman was also holding a child.

Rei frowned slightly, _These people…seem familiar…But I know that I've never met them…_

She stepped away from the picture and went over to door and listened carefully. From beyond the door, she could hear voices and a clanging noise. None of the voices seemed familiar, but as she listened carefully, she made out a bit of underlaying static.

_A radio,_ she told herself, _or a television._

After a moment's hesitation, she slowly slide the door open and peeked out.

What she she saw completely surprised her, "Kensuke?!"

Kensuke whirled around, wielding a spatula and wearing a green apron, "Rei, you're awake! I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Not that I am aware of..." she mumbled as she entered the kitchen area, "What are you..."

"Pancakes," he told her, "It's a western-type of breakfast. It's baked flour and stuff mostly."

"I see," she nodded as she glanced at the messy counter.

"Umm...did you sleep well?" he asked carefully.

"Yes..." Rei paused and stared at him before asking the obvious, "Why am I here?"

Kensuke rocked on his feet, "Well...ahhh...you really, really didn't want to go in your apartment last night."

Rei blinked at him for a moment, than her faced ashen and looked down.

"Rei," Kensuke stepped closer, "You alright?"

"I..." Rei's hands tightened, "I...don't like that place."

"Well, who would blame you?" Kensuke chuckled stiffly, "It's not the greatest place..."

"I have many memories of existing there," Rei continued sullenly, "Memories that were once insignificant...but now...now I can't stand to be in that place."

"Is this because of...what happened?" Kensuke asked, realizing that it was a stupid question as it left his mouth.

Rei nodded slowly, "It showed me...things; forcing me to see how...what I really am..."

"Rei..." Kensuke started as he walked over to her.

"I was created by 01, Kensuke," she continued, shaking, "I was created by the Lilith component in 01 using Yui Ikari's DNA as a base so that 01 wouldn't be complete. However, I was then used as a tool by both Commander Ikari and Lilith in their games. I'm a shell, a container..."

"Rei!" Kensuke grabbed her arm, "Stop it!"

Rei stared at him in shock, unable to speak.

Kensuke blinked as he realized that he was grasping her arm, "I…umm…" He released her arm and collapsed in the chair next to her let out a long sigh.

Neither of them spoke, not really know what to say.

Finally Kensuke managed to clear his throat, "Rei…you can't really believe that…"

"It's true…"

"Maybe, _maybe_," he stressed the word, "it _was_ true…but that's definitely not the case anymore."

Rei frowned at him, looking upset still, but also uncertain, "What do you mean?"

"Come on Rei," he said as he almost reached for her hand, "If you were still that way, you certainly wouldn't be concerned about being that way, would you? If you were like…like you used to be than…" Kensuke trailed off as words failed him.

Rei stared at him steadily before bowing her head, "I believe I understand what you are attempting to say…but simply because I am feeling this way doesn't negate the fact that is what I am."

"But…"Kensuke started.

"I understand that you are attempting to comfort me," she told him quietly, "and I appreciate it…But you don't really understand what I am…"

Kensuke stared at her, mouth agape.

Rei stood, "I should leave…thank you for every-"

"You're right," Kensuke stood up and headed to his phone, "We need to leave. If I don't understand the situation well enough to help you, then we'll go to someone who does."

Rei blinked as Kensuke dialed the phone. She wasn't sure who he could be calling when he finally got through, "Hey It's Kensuke, Shinji."

_Shinji…_she blinked, _Of course he would call Shinji. Shinji was the only other pilot that he is on speaking terms with…that must have been what he was talking about…_

Rei blinked as she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to Kensuke as he spoke to Shinji, and that he was ending his conversation with him by the time she started listening again, "Right…yeah…yeah….I'll see you in a bit…thanks, bye…"

Kensuke clicked the phone off and turned to Rei, "Well…Shinji says he'll talk to you…"

"I do not understand why you are making this great an effort," Rei frowned slightly.

"Well…it's because I want to help you. And if I can't help you directly, than I'll have someone else do it."

"I am not sure how he will be able to help me, either."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Kensuke told her as he led her to the door.

Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu Apartment

Morning

Asuka stared at Shinji as he set the phone down, "So what's the big emergency that you nearly tossed me on the floor for?"

"Umm…" Shinji chuckled nervously.

The morning had been as strange as last night. He had ended up falling asleep with Asuka on his lap, only to be woken up by Misato on her way to NERV. She had grinned at him and told him "Play nice" before leaving. Shinji hadn't been able to decide whether to sigh or laugh at the situation. Either way, he had fallen asleep again until the phone rang.

"That was Kensuke," he told the strangely tranquil red head, "Apparently Rei stayed over at his place last night."

"Lucky him," she chuckled.

Shinji rolled his eyes, "But apparently she's in a middle of break down of some kind about what she is or something. Anyways, he's bringing her over so I can talk to her."

"Ah," Asuka murmured as she glanced away, "Fine." She turned and started to walk out of the room.

"Asuka..." Shinji half sighed, half groaned, "don't be like that."

Asuka let out a long hiss and turned back to him, "And what should I be like?"

Shinji blinked at her response, and tried to voice an answer, but none came.

Asuka tilted her head slightly, "Come on, idiot. What should I be like?"

Shinji momentarily recoiled at the barb, but was puzzled by the lack of venom in it. He ventured a guess, "You understand?"

"Pfft," she rolled her eyes, "Of course I understand. Idiot. What do you take more for?"

Shinji's face faulted, causing Asuka to smirk slightly.

"I know that she probably needs you to show her the errors of her ways, like you did with me. It's not a big deal."

"Ah..." Shinji nodded slowly, "You're sure that it's okay?"

Asuka eyed him, "If I said no, wouldn't you want to go anyways?"

Shinji managed a uncomfortable smile, "Yeah..."

Asuka sighed, "Look, I know you're worried about what I think and all, but Rei needs a good kick in the rear. So, get moving."

As Asuka turned around, Shinji sighed, "You aren't happy with this, though."

"...No, not really," she admitted with her back still turned.

"Asuka..."

"It's fine," she grunted, "Really, Shinji. I mean, you promised to stay with me, but that's it. And right now Rei needs you're help too."

Shinji tried to say something. A million different words, phrases, thoughts and feelings rushed to get out, but all of them died in his mouth, slain by a familiar foe.

Asuka turned back, her face serene, but it was clear that there was an underlying tension, "Well?"

"Yeah...if you didn't want to go..." he barely managed.

"I think I'll head over to Hikari's and make sure the id...that Toji didn't give her too much trouble.

_Toji!_ Shinji eeped to himself. He had forgotten, "Thanks Asuka."

She nodded, "Well, get going. Meet me back here with lunch too!" She grinned as she left the room.

"Sure thing," he smiled back before it faded. He left for Kensuke's apartment in a daze, wrestling with his feelings and fears.

Aida Apartment

Kensuke breathed a sigh of relief as Shinji entered, "Hey! You alright?"

"Yeah," Shinji nodded with a half-smile, "Just tired."

Kensuke nodded as Shinji walked in and smiled at Rei, "Morning Rei. How are you?"

Rei glanced at Shinji, "...Hello."

Shinji gulped slightly, _Well...what now?_

_I have no clue. I want to help her, but..._

_How did you help Asuka?_

_That was...different. I know her better._

_So what do you know about Rei?_

_...not enough._

_Well? You can't just stand here. Do something!_

Shinji sighed as he sat down, "Kensuke said you were...having a bit of a crisis."

Rei didn't respond immediately, glancing at Shinji and Kensuke.

_You need to relate to her somehow...get her to react..._

_With what? __What has she ever really reacted to? She was so frigid until recently..._

_...What a sec..._

"Rei," Shinji spoke softly, "You remember how I was before...before the Third Impact?"

Rei frowned slightly, but nodded.

"And am I different now?"

"In some ways, yes," she responded.

_Not in enough,_ Shinji thought painfully to himself, "Why is that?"

"I do not understand," Rei replied, irritation creeping into her voice, "Is it not natural that people change?"

_Here goes nothing... _"And have you changed Rei?"

Rei stared at Shinji for a long time, her ruby eyes flickering in the light as she played off invisible voices in her head against each other, _I cannot see the purpose of his question. Regardless of how I have changed, I am still who I was before._

_Perhaps. Or perhaps he is trying to suggest that since Third Impact is past, it is no longer part of the consideration for the present._

_That does not change the fact that I was born for that purpose._

_But it does indicate __that that purpose is not our limit; that our past does not reach into _this_ future._

Rei frowned again, "I have."

"So, if I've changed, doesn't that mean that you can change more? That you might be able to overcome things that even now you can't?" Shinji asked her, his voice almost desperate.

_He seems to be attempting to convince himself._

_Perhaps he is trying to believe it himself._

"Even if I changed, it's wouldn't change what I was," she told him coldly.

"No, of course not," Shinji said softly, "Just like I will also be who I was born as...but that doesn't mean that we have to be that for the rest of our lives. We'll eventually become something other than what we were born as, we can't stop that, just like we can't change who we were born as."

"Wow," Kensuke spoke up suddenly, "I didn't know you could be that deep, Shinji."

"Ah..." Shinji rubbed his neck in embarrassment, "Well, after you see end of the world and other really weird things..."

"Shinji," Rei said slowly, "I believe I understand what you are attempting to say. I just am unsure if it is possible for me to become something beyond the container of Lilith."

"Rei, that's something that you need to search for yourself," he told her, "But considering that you were brought back too, I would think that Lilith thought that you were something else too."

Rei looked at Shinji and nodded slowly, "That would make sense."

"Just remember Rei," Shinji told her, "We're your friends; we want to help you. And we struggle with questions like that all the time too."

She stared at him, "But why?"

"Because Rei," Kensuke interjected, "It's part of being human; uncertain of who are and what we'll be in the future...is...is..."

"It's what let's us change," Shinji finished quietly, "Since we don't know what we will be, we have a chance to change before it's too late."

Kensuke blinked at that, then looked at Rei.

Rei stared at Shinji, wondering where all this was coming from.

Shinji glanced downward, _Well that was interesting._

_Heh. You should take you're own advice, you know._

Suzuhara/Hokari Apartment

Asuka knocked on the door, glancing around at the empty hallways, _Not too many people around in the middle of the day I guess._

The door opened, and Asuka was somewhat surprised to see Sakura standing there, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Shouldn't you be?" she stuck her tongue out at her, "Someone needs to watch my lump of a brother."

"I suppose," Asuka nodded as she followed her into the apartment.

"Who...You?" Toji blinked in surprise as he half-stumbled out of his room.

"Yeah, me, Stooge," Asuka smirked, unable to help herself, "Someone had to come over and make sure you were in one piece still."

"Where's Shinji?" he asked slowly as he carefully lowered himself into a chair at the table, "You finally suck his soul out?"

Asuka stuck her tongue out at him, much to Sakura's amusement, "Nope. He had to...go and talk to Rei. She was in...a bad depression about her past or something." _Heh. Now I'm covering for her and Kensuke. What next?_

"Oh..." Toji nodded, "I figured you would be the most wasted of anyone."

"Hey, guess not," Asuka shrugged.

"Heh," Sakura grinned for no good reason, "Now Toji, get yourself some food."

"Hey! Aren't you here to take care of me?!" Toji protested.

'"Consider this part of your rehabilitation," she snorted.

"Hey!" Toji complained, "I heard Hikari tell you to look after me."

"Oh, so now you're going to go run to your _girlfriend_. Some tough guy you are." She got up and headed over to the pantry.

Asuka snickered as Toji's skin darkened, "Girlfriend eh?"

"We're not...I mean..." Toji stuttered before a pained looked drained his face. Sighing he glanced away, "Things aren't like that."

Asuka frowned at his behavior and leaned forward, "You aren't alright, are you?"

Toji sighed softly, "I...I'm not sure. In a way, yeah...but the fact that I'm anything close to okay after that scares me."

"Shinji mentioned something like that, I think," Asuka said thoughtfully, "He was able to resist them...so that's probably what you were doing as well."

"Maybe..." he nodded.

"So," Asuka continued matter of factly, "Have you asked Hikari out yet?"

Toji nearly fell out of his chair, barely managing to grab onto the table, "Wha...What?!"

"Have you asked her out on a date yet? She hasn't said anything, so I'm asking you."

Sakura was barely managing to keep it together as she stuck her head in the refrigerator, hiding her face.

"It...it's not like that!" he insisted.

"Oh please," Asuka rolled her eyes, "Call me the Devil if you insist, but give me _some_ feminine credit."

"Why do you care, anyways?!" he managed to get his speech back under control.

"Hikari's my friend; I have a vested interest in her well being."

"Yeah?" Toji raised an eyebrow, "What's that say about you and Shinji then?"

Asuka grimaced, "I...we're friends. I think."

Toji was surprised. Not at just her answer, but the fact that she answered.

"Listen," Asuka continued, "We are different then you too. You're more normal, Hikari especially. And I'm telling you that Hikari _wants_ a relationship. Not something too involved right away, but..."

"Yeah..." Toji nodded.

"Good," Asuka nodded, having asserted that the stooge was finally getting it.

And then the phone rang.

Aida Apartment

Rei stared at her hands, trying to comprehend what Shinji was telling her.

_It seems that he is attempting to convince me that it no longer matters how I was created or what I was created for._

_How can it not matter? I am who I was back; nothing about me has changed._

_...That is not entirely accurate._

Rei blinked at her own realization as memories of herself flooded back to her.

_There were the various comments that I had made, especially at school when interacting with the others about Shinji and Asuka. There was that time in the elevator. There was those study nights with Kensuke..._

Rei felt a shiver climb up her back, _How did all this happen to me without my noticing _it?

"Shinji," Rei looked up at her fellow pilot.

"Uhh, yeah?" he blinked at in confusion.

"How does one change?" she asked, concern in her voice, "And how do I know how I'm changing?"

Shinji stared at her. He knew what she was asking, but to describe what she was searching for was...

Kensuke scratched his head, "Gee, Rei...I'm not sure how to answer that...I mean...it's just something that kinda happens."

Shinji nodded in agreement, "Yeah. You change all the time in life, no matter what you do. And everything that you are exposed to in life affects how you change, whether you grow to accept something, or reject it."

Rei seemed to tense, "You mean I have no control over it?"

"No, not at all!" Shinji assured her hurriedly, "It's the choices that you make that affect how you change. Some changes aren't very noticeable, some even reinforce earlier decisions that you made. But everything that that you do makes some sort of change. That's why it's a great responsibility to make good decisions."

Rei nodded with rapt attention on him, "I see. What makes a decision good?"

Kensuke and Shinji looked at each other in surprise, then looked back at Rei.

"Umm, Rei," Kensuke shrugged helplessly, "That's...there's no answer to that."

"Yeah, there's no set way to say what's a good decision or not," Shinji explained, "I mean, there are rules and guidelines that people invent, like laws and codes. There's the Ten Commandments from the Christian Bible too. But in the end, you need to make the decision yourself."

Rei nodded, "I see."

"So..." Kensuke asked tentatively, "What do you think now?"

Rei looked at him thoughtfully, "I think that I need to start making my own decisions." She frowned again, "Though I am unsure about how well I will make them."

Kensuke chuckled, "Don't worry too much about that. I remember when I had to start making my own decisions. It can be tough, but you just need to stick to your principals."

"Principals?" Rei queried.

"Ah..." Shinji started when the phone rang.

NERV

"Hey," Misato said as she entered Ritsuko Akagi's lab.

The doctor nodded from her chair, coffee in hand, "So how were they?"

"Shinji at least seems stable enough," Misato told her, "and I found him on the couch in the morning with Asuka."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I see."

Misato snickered, "Oh, nothing happened. But it'll be great material for weeks to come."

"So you think that they're recovering alright?"

"I think so," Misato nodded, "I mean, Asuka wasn't awake, but rather then shut herself in like before, she was clinging to Shinji. Now, hopefully it won't mean she's utter dependent..."

"That'll be the day," the doctor snorted as her desk phone rang.

She set her coffee down and answered it, "Akagi."

She frowned then spoke, "Are you sure?"

"What's going on?" Misato asked, while Ritsuko was nodding to herself, "I'll see what I can find out." She hung the phone up.

"Well?"

"Rei's not at her apartment," she replied flatly as she started dialing her phone.

"What?!" Misato exclaimed.

"I know that Aida was walking with her, so I'll call him..."

Suddenly her console beeped at her. She moaned as she set the phone back, "What now?"

"_Ma'am_!" Maya Ibuki's voice screamed from the speaker, _"We have a problem_!"

Misato felt an icy fist grab her stomach, "What's the situation Lieutenant?"

"We have five enemy signatures outside the city! They just showed up; no idea how! The signatures are comparable to Alphas, but the energy readies are off the scale!"

Misato shivered. Only a few Angels were close to the same, and the only one that size with that much power had completely overwhelmed them.

Ritsuko glanced at her, "A Mu squad?"

"Has to be," Misato nodded, "Call everyone in. And pray to God that both the Pilots and the Evas are in good enough shape to fight."


End file.
